Once upon a time, everyone didn’t endlessly stare at their phone. Social media didn’t exist, likes were something you felt and didn’t click, and people actually engaged with one another more.
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It’s not clear whether the internet can ever be broken, but it’s a concept the Michigan duo of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott explore on latest single “Good Old Days,” off their fifth EP August and Everything Prior (Love Is EZ Records), out May 8.
What happened to the Good Old Days / Are they all gone? asks Epstein in the chorus, remembering a simpler time on the more lo-fi, pop track. “This one is about our desire to welcome and encourage the next generation, because most generations end up holding onto their control for far too long,” says Epstein. “It’s inspiring for us to see young people who are doing their best to make impactful and necessary change.”
August and Everything Prior, a follow up to 2019’s Invocations/Conversations, is more of a reflection of the time JR JR first started playing together, says Epstein. Formed back in 2009 in Detroit, JR JR (formerly Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr) have released five albums since their 2010 debut It’s a Corporate World.
Written by Epstein and Zott, August and Everything Prior’s pop-fused and acoustic-led tracks are a reminder of JR JR’s own good old days, and early beginnings. They took more control of their music this time around releasing the EP under their own label Love is EZ (in partnership with Secretly Distribution).
“Making this EP felt like falling in love again,” says Zott. “It’s full of hope, positivity, and a unique sense of romance.”
Perhaps, falling in love with music again, “Good Old Days” is the perfect base for August and Everything Prior, and says it all.
”This is the first of many—being able to write music is the best part of all of this,” Josh Epstein tells American Songwriter. “Hopefully the faucet won’t turn off again for many years.”
