“On Brick Hill, I navigate memories and emotions spurred through an unexpected homecoming. The relationship between myself and home is at the core of this record. What makes home ‘home’? After finishing graduate school in Chicago in the summer of 2020, I moved back to my childhood home, the titular ‘Brick Hill’ in Baltimore, to live with my sister as the pandemic suspended all my plans to tour and record new music. We hadn’t lived there together since I was 11. This time of confusion and forced introspection informed much of the writing and recording that ultimately became Brick Hill.
The following year involved two more moves, back and forth between New York and Baltimore, and endless hours of writing and home recording. I began to understand home as an amalgamation of space, ideas, and love. Home is a relationship. Home is where your cat is. Through this process, I began to see my record as a form of ‘home.’ This notion of relationships as home recurs throughout the record. There are conversations about love and loss, the ephemeral nature of the moment, and the power of memory.
Brick Hill was self-recorded and co-produced with my long-time collaborator and friend Tommy Ordway (Pom Pom Squad, Marinara, Sister James). It was mixed by Tommy and mastered by Justin Pizzoferrato (Wild Pink, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.).“
I recently stumbled upon Jupie’s music and was immediately drawn to their dreamy, melancholic indie pop sound. With each single I listened to from their latest album, I found myself more captivated by their colorful sound palette and intricate nuances. The accompanying music videos only added to my admiration of their artistry.
Upon discovering that Jupie had released a new album, I wasted no time in giving it a listen. Though it took me some time to put together this post, I am thrilled to share the beauty of their music with others.
It’s difficult to put into words just how stunning this album truly is. The entire piece deserves to be listened to from beginning to end, as each song flows seamlessly into the next. If you don’t have the time to give it a full listen now, I highly recommend making time for it later.
In my opinion, this album is one of the best pieces of music I have had the pleasure of listening to so far in 2024 – and that’s saying something, considering our two special cassette releases. Jupie is without a doubt a rising star in the indie music scene, and I am eagerly anticipating what they will release next. In the meantime, I will certainly be revisiting this gem repeatedly, as each listen reveals new layers of depth and beauty.
I reached out to Jupie to ask out 3 Qs:
What inspired you to start making music and what keeps you making music?
My family are big music people and music has always been a part of my life. My parents were in a rock band called “enormous” back in the 90s and I lived in the tour van with them until I was two.
I started writing music in high school but it took years for me to feel like I was writing anything really good. I befriended a bunch of talented musicians in NYC in college and started figuring out what I wanted to do as a writer.
When I graduated college and moved to Brooklyn I started producing my own music. I had tried working with a producer and through that process, I realized that I didn’t want studio sounds and purity — I wanted what I was making in my bedroom.
Ever since I began trusting my own instincts with production I have continued to figure it out as I go. In many ways, this is what keeps me going. I know I will always write music but finding new ways to make it different and special while maintaining its intimate earnestness is what makes the creative process fun.
My friends also keep me going. I worked with my close friend Tommy Ordway, who co-produced and mixed Brick Hill, to make a record I’m really proud of. Justin Pizzoferrato did an amazing job mastering as well. My friends all do my art and videos and t-shirt designs. It’s really special. They push me to keep creating but also encourage me to play these songs live. I just played a fun release show for Brick Hill on Friday 1/12 at Metro Gallery in Baltimore and my community here has really inspired me.
What was the most challenging thing in your music (artistic) path?
My biggest challenge is probably my inexperience as a producer and definitely my stubbornness. Production has a steep learning curve. I always want to do it all by myself but this can make things take longer and limit what I can do overall. Brick Hill was my most collaborative effort yet and I think the next one will be even more so.
What would you dream to do if anything was possible?
It’s been a long time since I’ve asked myself this but if I could do anything career-wise, I don’t know how different I’d want my path to be. Obviously, more success and money from music would be cool, playing more cool shows, working with more cool people, etc. But honestly, I love where I am. I have been able to write and record and perform my music my whole adult life while pursuing different careers, different cities, and different experiences. I feel really lucky and privileged to be where I’m at.
Going forward, I think it would be a dream to get to keep doing what I’m doing but watch it grow into something I can’t see from where I stand now. Excited to see what that will be!
You can follow the artist on: