"I clean the window, put our things in a box / The feeling’s heavy cause it’s holding a lot / If we die on the flight were there reasons enough? / I’m living on in all the people I loved..."
Against floating circular keys, droning sounds and somber beats, the glacial melancholia of "I Wasn't Looking" by Melbourne, Australia based singer-songwriter / musician Jasmine Iona digs deeply under your skin. Iona possesses a beautiful vulnerable vocal presence here that somehow comforts you through the sadness of the song, a kind of sadness that is relatable. Iona shares the seeds of the song, "It's a gently heartbreaking reflection on the death of my estranged grandpa" and as it is when you lose someone, the tentacles of loss seem to reach out to others and soon you find out about their loss too.
Iona reflects on that connective tissue between friends:
"My best friend’s dad died in a hospital bed
She’s getting half the ashes, someone else keeps the rest
Fifty five used to feel like a long time away
Growing up is learning what you can’t save"
As someone who has lost my fair share of loved ones, family, friends, the gut punch of loss never really ever leaves, the pain just changes, shifts to something resembling an emotional scar and over time you will quit hating yourself for things you didn't say, you didn't do.
This passage sticks with me:
"My mum believes in heaven, I find it hard
I used to dream that stars would fall in our yard
I tend to miss the once-a-lifetime events
The red moons, eclipses and comets
Passing over on the quiet nights
You were laughing, I was holding the moment tight
Trying to tell you all I couldn’t say
And when I woke, I felt the mercy of grace
If not now, when?
What if it comes back never again?
What if it comes back never
And I wasn’t looking?"
"I Wasn't Looking" is from Jasmine Iona's latest EP "Petrol Blue", recorded in her living room.
From LINER NOTES:
[Her latest project, ‘Petrol Blue’, is a four-song EP written recorded, and co-produced in her living room. The final two releases, ‘Mud’ and ‘I Wasn’t Looking’, chart the loss of her estranged grandpa - and the legacy of his rage. Wading through a backlog of anxiety and self-doubt with eyes fixed firmly to the horizon, the ‘Petrol Blue’ EP is fuelled by sadness and hope in equal measure.]
Dip into the sadness, the beauty.
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.youtube.com/@jasmineionamusic/
https://jasmineiona.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jasmineionamusic/
https://www.facebook.com/jasmineionamusic/
Iona reflects on that connective tissue between friends:
"My best friend’s dad died in a hospital bed
She’s getting half the ashes, someone else keeps the rest
Fifty five used to feel like a long time away
Growing up is learning what you can’t save"
As someone who has lost my fair share of loved ones, family, friends, the gut punch of loss never really ever leaves, the pain just changes, shifts to something resembling an emotional scar and over time you will quit hating yourself for things you didn't say, you didn't do.
This passage sticks with me:
"My mum believes in heaven, I find it hard
I used to dream that stars would fall in our yard
I tend to miss the once-a-lifetime events
The red moons, eclipses and comets
Passing over on the quiet nights
You were laughing, I was holding the moment tight
Trying to tell you all I couldn’t say
And when I woke, I felt the mercy of grace
If not now, when?
What if it comes back never again?
What if it comes back never
And I wasn’t looking?"
"I Wasn't Looking" is from Jasmine Iona's latest EP "Petrol Blue", recorded in her living room.
From LINER NOTES:
[Her latest project, ‘Petrol Blue’, is a four-song EP written recorded, and co-produced in her living room. The final two releases, ‘Mud’ and ‘I Wasn’t Looking’, chart the loss of her estranged grandpa - and the legacy of his rage. Wading through a backlog of anxiety and self-doubt with eyes fixed firmly to the horizon, the ‘Petrol Blue’ EP is fuelled by sadness and hope in equal measure.]
Dip into the sadness, the beauty.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.youtube.com/@jasmineionamusic/
https://jasmineiona.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jasmineionamusic/
https://www.facebook.com/jasmineionamusic/
https://jasmineiona.com/
Jasmine Iona has a knack for capturing the intangible. Grappling with love, nostalgia and trauma against a shimmering backdrop of synth and airy harmonies, Jasmine’s self-produced songs string personal narratives from stars, mud and meteorites.
Influenced by the likes of Lana Del Rey, Young Summer and Tori Amos, Jasmine began composing electronic music on the family keyboard when she was 14 years old. Teaching herself Logic, ProTools and Cubase, she soon began developing her own distinctively layered production style to accompany the melancholic themes of her poetry.
Performing around the Eyre Peninsula in her teens earned her a loyal following which accompanied her move to Melbourne in 2017. In 2022, she released a debut EP of songs written and recorded in collaboration with producer David Turley.
Her latest project, ‘Petrol Blue’, is a four-song EP written recorded, and co-produced in her living room. The final two releases, ‘Mud’ and ‘I Wasn’t Looking’, chart the loss of her estranged grandpa - and the legacy of his rage. Wading through a backlog of anxiety and self-doubt with eyes fixed firmly to the horizon, the ‘Petrol Blue’ EP is fuelled by sadness and hope in equal measure.
Jasmine Iona has a knack for capturing the intangible. Grappling with love, nostalgia and trauma against a shimmering backdrop of synth and airy harmonies, Jasmine’s self-produced songs string personal narratives from stars, mud and meteorites.
Influenced by the likes of Lana Del Rey, Young Summer and Tori Amos, Jasmine began composing electronic music on the family keyboard when she was 14 years old. Teaching herself Logic, ProTools and Cubase, she soon began developing her own distinctively layered production style to accompany the melancholic themes of her poetry.
Performing around the Eyre Peninsula in her teens earned her a loyal following which accompanied her move to Melbourne in 2017. In 2022, she released a debut EP of songs written and recorded in collaboration with producer David Turley.
Her latest project, ‘Petrol Blue’, is a four-song EP written recorded, and co-produced in her living room. The final two releases, ‘Mud’ and ‘I Wasn’t Looking’, chart the loss of her estranged grandpa - and the legacy of his rage. Wading through a backlog of anxiety and self-doubt with eyes fixed firmly to the horizon, the ‘Petrol Blue’ EP is fuelled by sadness and hope in equal measure.
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