Jay Som is the project of 23-year-old Melina Duterte, who has been creating music for the past 10 years or so on a multitude of instruments, from guitar to trumpet. Though she played every instrument on her newest record Everybody Works, her touring band here at the Tiny Desk gave a rougher edge to some of the more premeditated sounds on her wonderful album.
Of the three songs they chose to bring to the Tiny Desk, one was a personal favorite from Everybody Works: "The Bus Song," which is a perfect swirl of stream-of-consciousness:
Take your time
Won't be long till our car breaks down
Your hands in mine
Feel like a firefighter when I take off your shoes
Before concluding with a thoughtful nod to her partner:
Take time to figure it out
I'll be the one who sticks around
And I just want you to lead me
And I just want you to need me
It's lyrics like this, alongside the comfy, no-frills directness of Duterte's delivery, which make Jay Som feel so welcoming and refreshing.
Everybody Works is available now. (iTunes) (Spotify)
Setlist
Musicians
Melina Duterte (vocals, guitar); Oliver Pinnell (guitar); Zachary Elsasser (drums); Dylan Allard (bass)
Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Tsering Bista; PA: Jenna Li; Photo: Liam James Doyle/NPR.
For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1MTkyNjA1MDEyNzM1MTQ0ODk3NTA1NA004))
