Family Jordan is one of those names that’s been appearing quite regularly across the last few years of my Trouble Juicing and is always a joy to see light up my inbox. Following on from the psych-rock tinged outlaw country that packed their first two LPs Super Nobody Group From Nowhere and Holy Smokes, and the comic ballideering of third album Homo Exotica, newest effort Big Grass finds itself nestled contently somewhere in-between those two worlds.

Built around Jordan’s twangy guitaristry and comforting vocal style, Big Grass is the kind of album you’ll find yourself putting on just as often to cruise through a Sunday afternoon as you will in those late hours of kick-ons when someone suggests it’s time for some country. While breaking new ground for Family Jordan with tracks like the late 60s inspired title track and upbeat country album closer ‘Sally’, soaring instrumental opener ‘Adios’ keeps plenty of the band’s psychedelic ethos intact. Album highlight and third single ‘Stillness’ lives a little in both camps, with soaring slide guitar and an overdriven guitar solo spiralling around some of the album’s finest, timeless country-folk songwriting. The end product is a varied, yet beautifully coherent listen, that'll have you going back through all of the Family Jordan catalogue once you're done.

Now that the album is couple of weeks old, we got in touch with the Jordan behind the Family to take us through each track of Big Grass and how the album came to life.

Adios

The first song on a record is always a difficult one to locate. Start up beat? Start slow? Favourite or least favourite? 'Adios' was chosen, and written to be a bookend to Homo Exotica (2019). I think it also lays a nice foundation for the rest of the record.

Sideburn #16

A comment on time. Do you remember where you were when you grew your sixteenth pair of sideburns? I do.

Big Grass

'Big Grass' became the central piece of writing for this record. Everything revolves around the song, both sonically and thematically. It's a song about suicide and the guilt that comes with that.

Stillness

A subtle lament on white guilt, but in the end an ode to friendship and unconditional love. Which can be hard to handle sometimes.

Confined to Me

When I wrote this song I was really coming to terms with my feeble idea of masculinity, in a relationship sense. Let them go, you will be calmer and your love will be deeper.

Let Me In

Cut from the same cloth as 'Confined to Me'. Don't waste your love on jealousy, you idiot.

Crying Eyes

Our first cover on record. Always been a JJ fan. Unmistakable sound and very precise songwriting.

Snow

Songs like this are pretty self explanatory. I wanted to write a song from the opposite perspective than the one I was experiencing. I hope I'm never single again but if I am I will write more songs from a woman's point of view. It's good practice to put yourself in someone else's shoes.

Song For Alex

I can't think of a person better suited for fatherhood. This one is obviously for Alex but also Annie, Olive and Pearl.

Sally

I've talked a lot about 'Sally' on my irregular newsletter but it's really just taking the piss out of idiots like me who like to think they can make country music. You can't, so at least have fun with it.