Moving piano-ballad paired with an exclusive photo series set shot throughout NYC
NEW YORK CITY | JULY 12, 2019 – Singer-songwriter Shayfer James is back, with a moving new single “New York Doesn’t Remind Me“. Paired with an exclusive photo-set, the new release takes fans on an audio-visual journey throughout NYC, reflecting on love, heartbreak, and the intertwined connection memories can hold to particular locations. An emotive and intimate ballad, the single comes hot off the heels of James’ latest EP Hope And A Hand Grenade, released earlier this year. PopMatters premiered the track describing James as a “songwriting tour de force”.
“The places I describe in the song are all actual locations where my own love affair blossomed and withered in New York City, making this song deeply personal to me,” shared James. “I just thought there was something important about admitting that I was in denial. Admitting that my heart was broken and that everything reminded me of this lost love.”A piano-led ballad, the track goes on to declare James’ anguish in trying to suppress memories from his relationship; from the joyous, love-struck times, to the hardships and heartbreak as the relationship began to unwind. Referencing a number of iconic and local haunts across New York City, listeners follow James on his journey of reflection and remembrance. As his voice cracks, “This is nobody’s fault / God I wish you were here,” perfectly evokes the pain of heartbreak and lost love. James has previously self-described that music is a method that “communicates, heals and destroys” – a cycle displayed in full on this release.
Taking the concept a step further, James collaborated with friend and photographer Samantha Tenbroek Mellina, to build a companion photo-set for the song. Producing a stunning series of twelve photographs shot across the city, it further brings the track to life. “She spent a day with me in NYC revisiting all of the places I describe in the song and photographing me,” reflected James. Shot on 35mm film with an old Canon A-1 camera created an authentic, one-take challenge that makes the images even more impressive, as new details are discovered in every examination. “Her goal was to capture the spontaneity and permanence I’m describing in the song, so film was the perfect choice. Not knowing what the photos actually looked like until they were developed felt nostalgic and genuine to me. There was no going back and, in this case, no editing in post. I personally feel like my brain is just a bunch of old film in various stages of development and exposure anyway. Samantha played a lot with window reflections and invited actress/models Ines Storani, and Morgan Doelp to recreate some moments with me. It was a magical experience and also cathartic. It helped me reclaim my relationship with the locations, and make new memories. Perhaps one of the most symbolic moments was when we arrived at St. Dymphna’s on St. Marks and it was closed down. It felt like an ending.” As he concluded, “I think everyone has or should experience heartbreak. It is gut-wrenching and difficult, but it seems pretty magnificent to me that we humans have this ability to create ghosts for ourselves and choose which memories mean the most to us.”
“New York Doesn’t Remind Me” comes as the first new release since James’ EP Hope And A Hand Grenade, released earlier this year. Always one to go above and beyond in dedication to his artistic pursuits, James released music videos for five of the six tracks of the record, each with their own diverse and fantastic presentation (“Mercy Down“, “Ophelia“, “Day Of Reckoning“, “Mostly Major Chords“, “Crack A Bottle, Run A Bath“). Known for his unique blend of catchy unconventionality, Shayfer James delivers bright pop melodies that are interwoven with gothic-tinged lyrics and emotive vocals, all delivered with a splash of whiskey humor, smart quip, and air of dark charm. He is also focused on altruism and frequently gives proceeds from his music and events to organizations that support civil liberties and help protect the rights people and communities that are underserved in our society; most recently he has supported NJ women’s charity The York Street Project, the ACLU and The Yellowhammer Fund.
“New York Doesn’t Remind Me” is available on all major digital retailers today, including Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. It was produced, engineered, mixed and arranged by Jeremy Gillespie, and mastered by Kim Rosen (Knack Mastering). Shayfer James will celebrate the new single with a full-band release show on July 26 at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2 in NYC (21+, $10, more info).
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ABOUT SHAYFER JAMES:
Shayfer James is a Rock/Folk Noir singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. With music that is equally at home on playlists that feature Jenny Lewis, Harry Styles, Leonard Cohen, The Decemberists and Andrew Bird, Shayfer moves unflinchingly from soulful uptempo rock to serene ballads. Known for his poetic, gothic-tinged lyrics, swaggering grooves, whiskey humor, and captivating performances Shayfer is a true showman whether it be on large festival stages or at living room house concerts.
Shayfer’s darkly fascinating musical story reaches far back into his early childhood when he nearly lost two fingers while curiously reaching his right hand into the engine compartment of his father’s idling tractor. After emergency surgery and skin grafting, Shayfer’s mother sat with him and exercised his fingers at the piano every day for months. It is that early relationship with piano that, fifteen years later, resulted in the piano becoming an innate emotional and physical extension of Shayfer’s writing; a mechanism through which he creates, communicates, heals and destroys.
Shayfer has released two full length albums, four EPs and various singles. He has toured and performed at festivals and events in the U.S. (Art Basel, CMJ), the UK, Iceland (SagaFest) and Hong Kong. Shayfer’s original songs and musical scores have appeared in horror and suspense films which premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival 2017 (Psychopaths), SXSW 2018 (The Ranger) and North Bend Film Festival 2018 (Anyone Home?). In addition to writing, recording, performing and scoring for film, Shayfer is currently writing two musicals with collaborator Kate Douglas (Sleep No More, NYC), one of which “The Ninth Hour” premiered via The Met LiveArts at The Met Cloisters on June 28, 2019.
Shayfer released his most recent EP Hope And A Hand Grenade, on February 1, 2019 via AWAL distribution (Kobalt Music) to rave reviews and ongoing series of video premieres for tracks throughout the release.
