In Conversation: j solomon

Slipfast sat down with independent artist j solomon to talk about his EP, Kill the Rockstar, his creative process, and the premieres of his short film in New York City and Los Angeles. 

Written by Claire Hookstra

Photo by Nik Bauman

Slipfast: How was it combining your “KILL THE ROCKSTAR” short film release with a concert? 

j solomon: I thought it would be messy, honestly. But it wasn’t at all! The two shows were very different from one another. The New York show was at a venue that’s a church during the day. I thought that was the optimal thing. There were pews, and they set up a projector, and it was very “movie theatre style.” The New York show went pretty well. The LA show last night was a little different because the venue was more of a traditional music venue. The venue did such a good job of making it [the transition from the short film viewing to j solomon’s set] seamless and professional, it was really perfect. 

Slipfast: That’s great to hear! Regarding your new EP, KILL THE ROCKSTAR, I know you’ve explained that the title hints at the potential end of your indie rock sound. Was there a moment that made you want to change direction with your music?

j solomon: Nail on the head with that question. The answer is, we will see what happens in the next couple of releases! I have a tendency to go back on my word with this kind of stuff. I grew up playing folk music primarily, and I was a singer-songwriter as a teenager. [I] began making indie rock and punk music in my early twenties. I’ve always kinda gone back and forth. I will release a song like “Cohabitate” or “Doggone” or “Greetings From Suburbia,” and then I will release a track like “Trick” or “DAMN RAT BASTARDS.” It doesn’t really make sense, but it makes sense because I’m doing it. People seem to get it and give me that grace. So, the idea for KILL THE ROCKSTAR was initially to go really hard in this indie rock direction. I want people to be able to hear a song on the radio and be like, “That sounds like a j solomon song.” I feel like I’ve gone in so many different directions that there wasn’t a clear [sound.] I think there is a clear one now. But it [also] gives me the opportunity now to surprise people with all the other things that I love to do.  

Slipfast: Totally! I could tell when I was listening to KILL THE ROCKSTAR that there was a clear and cohesive sound across the EP. Are there any key influences that you had for this work?

j solomon:  It’s always funny-- what I’m listening to while recording versus the references are usually two completely different things. KILL THE ROCKSTAR is obviously very influenced by Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Car Seat Headrest, Briston Maroney… all the indie rock people. But I was listening to a lot of Townes Van Zandt, Jim Croce, Pine Grove, and Big Thief. All these indie-folk and Americana artists. I think that may be indicative of a sound that’s to come, in terms of what’s next for me, big-picture-wise. 

Watch the KILL THE ROCKSTAR short film

Slipfast: KILL THE ROCKSTAR seems to be very autobiographical upon listening. Was there a different approach to writing these songs, such as “SPARK,” or does it come naturally to write about such personal experiences? 

j solomon: “SPARK” is autobiographical. I've always written that way. Music is my expression of self, and if I’m not being honest in that form, I can’t be honest anywhere else. It [writing “SPARK”] was definitely like a time capsule. It turned out cool.

Slipfast: It really did! When it comes to writing, is there a specific process you follow? Do the lyrics always come first, or does it all just come together sporadically? 

j solomon: Writing for me is always words first. I really like the textures of words, not just the meaning. But also, the meaning that you derive from how the word sounds. There are ugly words and there are pretty words. When I’m writing lyrics in my head or typing it on my phone, there’s always a melody attached, and typically, I don’t record that in any way for a while until there’s a lot of lyric content. If I forget the melody, it just means that it wasn’t good enough to start with. So, I let a lot of stuff slip through the cracks, and somehow I still wind up having complete songs at a certain point. I’ve also become a big music purist. I love cool shit. My favorite thing about music is huge sweeping explosive sections that come out of nowhere and the catharsis of that, “SPARK” being an example. Older songs like “Sleeping in the Garden” and “Quality Control” are examples of that too. I’m always trying to perfect that climactic expression. 

Slipfast: Was there a song that you were surprised made it onto the EP? Maybe one that you weren’t too sure about until the end of the creative process? 

j solomon: “FISHBOWL” was scrapped from day one. We recorded it, my producer Garrett and I, and I was like, “Dude, I hate this. I’m not doing anything with it for a year.” We had a different track that was track 5, and it’s a song that I love, but it wasn't making sense, and it didn’t fit thematically with the rest of the songs. One day, I was like, "Okay, you win, Garrett. Let's open that project back up." That song, from the start, the drums always hit so hard, and we had this really sick baritone guitar that I played on that just felt good. That went from a complete scrapper to being a hidden gem on the record.

Slifpast: Well, I’m glad it made it onto the record because I think “FISHBOWL” is one of my favorites! Just to end on a fun note, what would KILL THE ROCKSTAR’s coffee order be? 

j solomon: Ah I don’t drink coffee! This morning I had an iced chai with oat milk… it was kind of flavorless. The best one is when there’s a manageable amount of ice, but still a good ratio of liquid and a good amount of cinnamon that you mix in. That’s the best. 

Listen to j solomon on Spotify and Apple Music 

This interview was minimally edited for clarity and accuracy.