Los Angeles-based artist Adam Melchor has just released a new six-song EP entitled Summer Camp EP. Aided in production by Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers), Andrew Sarlo (Bon Iver) and John DeBold (Vampire Weekend), Melchor presents songs that are intriguing, moving and deeply human.
Videos by American Songwriter
“I write my best when I’m writing with my friends, over a cup of coffee in someone’s kitchen or living room,” Melchor told American Songwriter. “I think that feeling (literally) at home is essential for me to be able to be my complete
self!”
And this sense of being at home is evident when listening to Summer Camp EP — every detail, even the production technique, feels entirely genuine to Melchor. “Our goal was to throw everything at it that felt right and then maybe take away some stuff later,” he said. “We didn’t wind up using many digital plugins on it either. The vocals and guitars are straight from the board which was a new experience for me.”
One song in particular — a tune by the name of “JEWEL” — acts as a perfect personification of Melchor’s process and spirit.
“I originally came up with the idea of ‘JEWEL’ after talking to my sister Julie,” Melchor said. “My nickname for her has always been Jul. I was living in Pasadena and missing my family back in NJ. I talked to Julie the day before a session. She was cheering me up by telling me everything would work out. She sounded so happy on the phone and when I asked why, she told me about how happy her boyfriend (now fiancé!) makes her. Their love for each other has always been so true from the start, and I decided to write about it.”
“The next day,” Melchor continued “I brought this song and idea to Nick Long at his house in Los Angeles. We got along to writing it in his kitchen. His neighbor has a very loud rooster and we kept talking about it throughout the day. When we got to the second verse, I said ‘this is gonna be about the rooster isn’t it’ and Nick just said ‘yes, yes it is’ without even looking up.”
Listen to Andam Melchor’s single “JEWEL” off of his new EP Summer Camp EP below:
