Arts

Jack Warren ’22 Preserves Signature ‘Headrush’ Style in Pop-Music Foray ‘Not My Job’

Featuring 808 style drums, synthesizers, and acoustic samples, “Headrush” Jack Warren ’22’s upcoming February 12 release, “Not My Job,” experiments with pop elements in a departure from his hallmark indie and alt-rock style. Warren expressed that with this new single he tried to strike a balance between his usual genres and newer, more pop-oriented sounds.

“I wanted a very modern, pop-inspired type of sound… I wanted it to sound like a Top 40 record, but still sound like me. So there’s still distorted guitars and lots of vocal layers, [I] love doing that on all my records, and a lot of dynamic changes. That was my goal: try and make a pop song that still sounds like me,” said Warren. 

According to Warren, “Not My Job” was inspired by unbalanced relationship dynamics, whether in friendships or romantic relationships. After composing the song’s instrumentals in two days, Warren wrote the lyrics soon after and completed the song in a total of two weeks. 

“Sometimes you are stuck in a situation with another person…where you feel like you’re putting in so much more effort and not getting anything reciprocated, and it’s just a [redacted] feeling. But what you can do to overcome that is just have more faith in yourself, and get yourself out of that situation, because it’s not healthy. It’s not your job to just constantly feed people’s egos and their attentions, just to get nothing in return,” said Warren.

Warren expressed that he enjoys peppering his music with double entendres. As a songwriter, he cites double-meanings as a “fun way” for the listeners to interpret the song from multiple perspectives. In “Not My Job,” Warren’s favorite line also happens to also be a double entendre. 

“In the second verse, there’s a line…it’s ‘you don’t owe me not a single cent to pay. Debit only declined because I didn’t have my way’…So it’s literally “you don’t owe me” in a relationship sense. But it’s also like, I have no money and I’m also broke,” said Warren.

Friend Bryce Shufro ’22 expressed admiration for Warren’s enthusiasm for music. He recalled often spending free periods listening to Warren expound passionately on production techniques, guitar riffs, or his songwriting. 

“[Warren is] always bringing music wherever he goes, and genuinely loves sharing his sound with others…As his friend, I love seeing how excited he becomes when showing my friends some music or when making a new song. I’m thankful that I can be with him while he’s developing his songs and watch his process because it makes listening to the finished product that much better,” wrote Shufro in an email to The Phillipian.

“Not My Job” can be pre-saved on Spotify and will be played on the radio station 103.3 FM Northampton on February 13 after its initial February 12 release. Moving forward, Warren has no plans of slowing down his music career. He is looking to release a song in March and a possible E.P. in the spring. 

“I have a couple songs that are in the bank, that I’m just waiting to devise a marketing plan for…But in terms of my career, this is the only thing I want to do. I don’t see myself doing anything else. I don’t care about anything else. So yeah, this is plan A. There is no plan B. I’m going for it,” said Warren.

Editor’s Note: Bryce Shufro ’22 is a Subscriptions Manager for The Phillipian.