Jake Stone Divinely Teaches The Importance Of Self-reflection, Acceptance And Emotion After Painful Separations

Melbourne-born artist Jake Stone has an inherent passion for music, and this excitement is conveyed through each moment his music moves through in time.

Endeavouring to look into new musicians as a gateway from inspiration to unique creation allows his projects to develop as he does, all whilst working on grounding his own craft. He has been surrounding himself with the music of Coldplay and The Killers since his childhood and has recently been finding inspiration from Noah Kahan and Blake Rose in order to get this heightened sense of emotion and intimacy intertwined within his work.

All of these aspects come together wonderfully to create a beautiful sound.  

The opening of his debut single ‘Late Nights’ begins with a particularly calming melody, as the slower tempo he adopts is the perfect segway into the intimate nature of the track. Right from the beginning, the musician gives listeners this existential sense of reflection particularly on a time of tragedy and beauty in past relationships. The gentle way in which he uses a guitar riff here encourages us to feel this intimacy but acknowledge the haunting nature of such; listening, you feel encapsulated by the music but alone in your own personal thoughts. It acts as a medium between his own experiences and the universal ones with which his fans often associate- a fascinating and entrancing effect. With the addition of the drums to ground the rhythm of the song, he builds on this sense of originality and feeling. 

As the track moves along and we begin to hear the backing vocals underneath Stone’s, alongside a heavier drumming beat, the true message of understanding the balance in a relationship and a break-up comes across. His lyrics become more prominent within the confines of the track, and phrases such as “if I won the battle you still won the war” and “you act the victim” centre around this idea of hurt and pain in a place where blame does not exist. As a result, his listeners are shown that the pain from a separation can sometimes stem from the underlying pain that the relationship itself brings. No matter how perfect it seems, reflection on one’s own actions as well as those of others is imperative to the ability to move forward from a loss. 

The conclusion of the track feels very different to the opening. There is a bigger sound, more dynamic instrument use and range in the artist’s vocals. Therefore, the idea that growing as a person comes with considering one’s own faults and mistakes comes across impeccably. It is only possible to move on when acceptance is reached, and a maturity that goes with real reflection can be adopted. 

It truly is a beautiful track created from the true and honest ideas of a very talented musician. Humans everywhere have a lot to learn from the message of this track; as a debut single especially, it’s a masterpiece. 

Abby Price

@axprice75

Image: ‘Late Nights’ Official Single Cover