Premiere: Jeremy Jones, ‘Intention’

Kevin Bronson on April 17th, 2019

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Native Midwesterner Jeremy Jones is a string-playing, sweet-singing songwriter and producer. He’s also a dreamer. He moved to Los Angeles from Indiana a few years ago with his indie band Trackless to chase one of those dreams, but as often happens they found a series of twists and turns and dead ends.

Besides his work as a viola player — he’s in Schoolboy Q’s orchestra in “Chopstix,” for instance — Jones, who grew up in a devout Jamaican family listening to gospel music and singing in church, has been focusing on his solo work.

“Everything I love is gone,” he croons at the start of his new song “Intention,” a woozy left-field R&B offering that meditates on how negativity can suffocate the best of intentions. It’s the first single from Jones’ forthcoming mixtape “Late Bloomer” — a collection of songs that reflect how “it’s taken me way too long to believe in myself. Not just in my skills, but who I truly am as an individual.”

Jones’ journey is a familiar one. “When I first moved to L.A., it was super rough, as it is with most people,” he says. “We moved out to L.A. to chase an opportunity, that originally kind of fell through. Typical story, but I think it really killed our morale. It definitely made me start hating music, which was really sad. We started to become really passive aggressive with each other.

“I wrote the song ‘Intention’ during this period — about how negative thoughts you have about someone can hurt them, even without speaking words. But then there’s a positive side, about how being aware of this can build your inner strength and that you can take back control. Looking back, I think we all laugh about our immaturity, but it was a powerful moment in my life.”

Better to bloom late than not at all. “Late Bloomer” is out May 31.

||| Stream: “Intention”