Today (July 25), Cody Jinks released his new album, In My Blood. The new record marks a new chapter not just in his career but in his life. During the making of his last album of original material, Change the Game, he was working on getting sober. He wrote the bulk of the album from a place of self-reflection after going to therapy and working on getting his life in order.
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Ahead of today’s milestone release, Jinks sat down with American Songwriter to discuss In My Blood. During our conversation, he talked about his healing journey, sharing his life with his fans, and more.
Cody Jinks is Excited for Fans to Hear In My Blood
Many artists will at least say they’re nervous about a new album. Cody Jinks, though, is confident and excited for people to hear what he and his band have done on In My Blood.
“My greatest fears are putting the same record out twice and not growing as an artist and a songwriter, or moving forward and being a better wordsmith. Those are all scary things to me. I can’t guarantee that every record is going to be a home run, but this one is,” says Jinks with a laugh. “As a band, we swing for the fences every time. We’re able to go in and make the music we want to make, record the songs we want to record. I really feel like this one will go in the same category as Less Wise and Adobe Sessions as one of the staple records,” he says about the new record.
In My Blood Came After Months of Therapy and Personal Growth
Cody Jinks didn’t just quit drinking. Anyone who has been through recovery or knows someone who has knows that quitting a substance is only the beginning. He’s been working on himself and going to therapy with the goal of being a better all-around person.
“I’ve had to find out a lot about myself in the last few years that I didn’t like,” Jinks says about his healing journey. “I’ve been trying to further myself as a husband, father, and human, and learning that that bad-ass image that I had to create runs its course,” he explains. “You can only do that for so long, man. It wears you down. Nobody’s that big of a badass. I don’t care who you are,” he adds.
“Confronting those things and going through therapy and just learning how to feel after years and years of substance abuse to avoid it. Now, you have to feel it all at once. In my case, I felt like I had arrested development. I went from being 19 to being 43 really, really quickly. That was a series of gut punches, and that’s how this record was created,” Jinks says.
Cody Jinks on Being Vulnerable on In My Blood
Cody Jinks’ discography represents a balancing act between vulnerable authenticity and the badass image he mentioned. Now, he doesn’t feel the need to keep up his image. As a result, listening to In My Blood feels almost like reading his journal.
“It’s hard. But it’s cathartic in that I know I’m not the only person dealing with those things,” Jinks says when asked about how being so open on this record feels. “So, I know that our fans are like the country music equivalent of Slayer fans. They’re the most hardcore. The reason our fans are the most hardcore is because they know how f**ked up I am because they are, too. I write about it and I sing about it,” he explains. “And I finally started asking for help. With Change the Game, I was getting sober during the making of that record. So, there were still drunken songs on there. I was still angry,” he adds.
Jinks pointed out that “Lost Highway” and “See the Man” are around 20 years old. The latter is a drinking song that he penned while still working as a bartender. “It was just an appropriate time to put those on a record,” he explains.
In My Blood is available to stream across all digital platforms now.
Featured Image by Erika Goldring/WireImage
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