“Paranormal” “absurdity” and community involvement through collaboration and performance with the Boston noise band
After rotating through three rounds of members since forming in 2021, Jimrat is finally shifting into place. The Boston-based noise outfit now features Sam and Josie writing and singing, Emma handling lead guitar and experimental sounds, E on bass, and Tim on drums.
The band also has an art director, Hector, who helps bring ideas to life through multimedia content. With the unit in place, after nearly four years, Jimrat will release its first album, Instant, on April 11. And to celebrate and kick things off, the band recently played a packed basement show in Boston.
Recording their debut, sleeping on the studio floor
Instant highlights Jimrat’s intellectual depth and musical complexity, blending sounds and lyrics to create a visceral experience. The songs focus on the paradox of what is said versus what goes unspoken, touching on feelings of passion, the contrast of love and anger, and internal and external conflict.
“We’re trying to communicate something that is presented as a wall,” E explained. “Then, the lyrics contribute to the breaking of that wall.”
Jimrat recorded its new project at the Living Gallery in Brooklyn. There, the band worked with fellow musician and producer Aidan O’Reilly for three days, making the album in the daytime and performing for live crowds in the space after hours. The band then slept on the studio floor; it was not-so-pleasant and smelly at times, but it was a seriously rewarding experience as well.
“It was a miracle that the weekend worked out, and we got the record done,” O’Reilly said. Members agreed that they were able to pull it off due to their putting in several months of work before going to New York. Sam started writing the songs for Instant more than four years ago. His process focuses on building harmony and tension, then penning the lyrics. Josie joined later to help finish the writing, and the rest of the band helped shape the themes behind the album.
Inspired by Clarice Lispector
The title, Instant, refers to one of Emma’s favorite books, Agua Viva by Ukrainian-born Brazilian novelist Clarice Lispector. The band shares a communal copy and each member has read it. The book explores themes of life, reality, time, and artistic creation, and became a guiding light for the album, which will feature longer transitions inspired by the author. For example, the full-length version of kneel, the first single, will include lyrics referencing another book by Lispector, The Apprentice.
Jimrat is also making Instant a fully visual album, with videos for each song that will ultimately tie together. Hector says they’re leaning into “absurdity” and the “paranormal,” working with artists and dancers in the Boston area. A key facet of Jimrat is community involvement through collaboration and performances.
“There is this feeling of satisfaction performing,” Tim said. “What we worked on is coming to fruition, and we can share it with people.”
A place where ideas are valued
The five-piece is passionate about forging spaces where “time is felt differently,” like a twilight zone. Jimrat’s goal is to transport audiences somewhere else, using the power of music and the ideas they’re conveying.
“You can tell they see performing in an artistic way that brings a lot more energy,” said Jane Avery, a Boston fan who has caught several of their sets. “It fully fills the room.”
To achieve that sort of presence, each member works hard to present their bodies in a certain way, like actors performing various characters. The resulting live connection with the audience is somewhat incomparable, and for them, that phenomenon is “what it’s all about.”
“Jimrat is a place you can come to where your ideas will be valued,” E said, continuing, “where you are given opportunities to do things that, maybe, you are scared of, but you have the support of so many great people.”
You can follow Jimrat on Instagram and at the band’s website
This article was produced for HorizonMass, the independent, student-driven, news outlet of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and is syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire news service.
