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Apr 09, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Caroline Wallis

Longtime NYC mainstay Griffin Jennings has usually stayed behind the scenes as a sound mixer, producer, and composer. His full-length debut record instead puts his talents as a singer/songwriter front and center, spinning tactile tapestries of warm instrumentation. Taking the newfound time (and unemployment checks) from the pandemic, Jennings fulfilled a longtime dream of building a home studio and self-recorded last year’s Threnody and his upcoming LP, Static And The Dark, coming this summer. Jennings has also shared the first single from the project, “Long Forgotten Road,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Long Forgotten Road” is a nostalgic walk through well-tread memories, a gentle recall of old whirlwind nights of romance. Jennings brings to mind the tranquil scenes of early morning, guiding the listener through an intimate reverie of instrumentation. Gentle guitar and feather-light drumming push the song forward while a gorgeous chiming piano line fills the space between Jennings’ lyrics. All the while, the spacious instrumental gives Jennings room to shine, unveiling new memories with each lyric as he reflects on a brief but passionate romance. The resulting track not only allows Jennings’ skills as a producer to shine but introduces Jennings as an emotionally resonant songwriter in his own right.

Jennings says of the track, “‘Long Forgotten Road’ was the first song I wrote for the record and it’s also my favorite. I think I recorded it in one night. I remember I spent a long time getting the guitar sound right and I used that as a basis for the track. After I recorded the drums I was so shocked because it was the first time I really loved a drum sound that I got at home. I have a tendency to write songs that just kind of drive along and don’t change too much but have an inviting sound world and an atmosphere that I’d like to get lost in.

Lyrically it’s looking back on an intense but brief romance I had a few years back. When it ended I knew I would write songs about it but it just never happened until recently. The first line, “the night we met, you cried along to Quicksand” is talking about the David Bowie song. The first night we spent together was soon after David Bowie died and we both cried to his music, which set the stage for that kind of emotionally charged relationship.” Check out the song and video below and watch for Static And The Dark, coming this summer.