It’s only natural to feel compelled to evaluate the world through the lens of the crisis. It’s all-encompassing; it infiltrates everything. So when listening to John Michael Young’s latest single as JMY, it’s difficult to separate the song’s brooding majesty from the feelings of anxiety and isolation we’re all experiencing. And yet, lurking within the track’s dreamy ambiance are glimmers of hard-earned hope that stand in stark relief against its dark, billowing framework. While Young’s gift for weaving textures and tones is impossible to overlook, ultimately it’s this balance between deep melancholy and euphoria that make the new cut such a compelling listen.

Today, we’re excited to bring the premiere of “Crosshairs” and its equally beguiling video. Shot in collaboration with Gilmer Street Production, the clip provides an ideal accompaniment to the song’s luminous production, placing Young in the center of a swirling drama that shifts from somber despair to a kind of willful triumph. Whether it pulls the viewer out our daily horror show or drags them further into the rabbit hole is largely a matter of interpetation and mood; either way, there is a mesmerizing beauty within JMY’s work that can’t be denied.

Watch/listen above.

To help provide further insight into “Crosshairs,” we checked in with Young to get his thoughts on the track and video, and to see how he is surviving the pandemic. You can read our conversation below.

How are you surviving all this madness? Are you finding it difficult to create music under these quarantine conditions?

My day job for the past two years has been a server position at a brew-pub in downtown Atlanta. It was very distressing to receive a call from my manager and be told that the restaurant would close indefinitely. I know my experience is one shared by almost all service industry workers across the nation and world. My quarantine day-to-day life consists of taking care of my new puppy and spending time with my girlfriend, making every meal as gourmet and delicious as possible, playing online video games at night with my friends, and making music all in-between. The first week that my job was closed and the quarantine began, I did not get a lot of creative work done. I think many people didn’t know what to do with themselves and are still finding ways to get inspired and feel fulfilled during this time. I feel that overall, I have been getting less work done than I did before the crisis, but everyday I work to stay mentally strong and push myself to do what I can.

The single and video are beautiful but it’s difficult not to interpret them through the lens of the current crisis. Do you find yourself reinterpreting or finding new meaning in your work?

Thank you! The video was luckily able to stay on track for the planned release date. Writing lyrics has always taken the backseat in my work so far as a solo artist, but I’m proud of the message I put out in this song. At the same time, I always appreciate lyrics that speak to emotions but are nonspecific enough to be applied to developing situations in life. I know there’s songs I listened to in high school that have a different meaning to me when I hear them now. When I listen to my songs I have released, the meaning is still the same to me from when I wrote them, but that is because they are still fresh. In a few years we’ll see how the lyricism holds up!

With that said, can you talk a little about what initially inspired you to write this song?

I had the main guitar rhythm written for a while but was playing around with the time signature I wanted to deliver it in. Once I settled on the groove, I felt that it called for a more electronic/hip hop drum sound. So for this song, I decided to go without live drums and have it be completely electronic, while still feeling and sounding like an acoustic kit. The style of the beat is definitely inspired by artists like Tycho and even SALES. The message of the song is that you don’t have to be afraid to be judged by people. If you are confident and sure of who you are, then those who don’t want to engage with you (through friendship/social media/music scene) probably aren’t worth your time anyway. The chorus line “I’m up in the crosshairs” says that all eyes are on me and that’s fine, I’ll keep doing my thing. Edgy? Sure! But that’s exactly the point, who cares what people think!

Tell us about the concept behind the video. How did it all come together?

I was initially approached by a friend at a party with the idea to make a music video with dancers in it. I instantly loved the concept and knew “Crosshairs” would be the perfect song for it, with its fluidity to the groove and emotional melody. Another friend referred me to Gilmer Street Production, a group of Georgia State film undergrads. After planning the video for a few months with Gilmer Street, we shot over two weekends in January. It was quite cold and dreary out, which went with the darker sound of the song. To me, the music video is primarily a visual interaction with the song and plays with the concept of old to new or “rebirth.” In the beginning of the video I am judged by people in the street, followed by a reflective trip to a lake to decide what kind of person I am going to be. Next I get my haircut in the music video, signaling a change not only in appearance, but also in perspective of life. The final outfit in the video is the most bold and confident, reinforcing the idea that I know who I am and am unafraid of judgement. The dancers movement around me in the final scenes symbolize an open interpretation to whatever challenges we face in our lives. The circling movement also reinforces the idea that there are revolving issues in our lives that we will always have to face no matter what. As I am in the middle of the dancers I am accepting this idea and finding peace that I can get through it and not let it affect me negatively.

What are you looking forward to the most once this nightmare is over?

Once our lives can return back to normal, I am looking forward to working again, eating out, going to concerts, and getting my live band back together and playing shows! I hope that everyone has been able to stay safe and find peace in this difficult time.

More Info
Web: jmyband.com
Bandcamp: jmyatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @jmyatl
Instagram: @jmygram
Twitter: @jmyband