Interview: Jerk and his New Release as night falls - Real Music, Real People, Real Stories

Nasko introduced me to Jark back in 2019, but it was their Mood Swings (2024) album that felt like a pivotal point in my fan journey. An album that ended up being a soundtrack to some very special memories.

I was lucky enough to get an early listen of as night falls a few weeks back, and it instantly pulled me into this beautifully off-kilter universe Jerk have built. One where jazz, funk, psychedelia, and experimental electronics melt into something raw, cinematic, and refreshingly alive. From the drum-and-bass rush of the title track to the shadowy funk of “stealthy, she moves!”, the EP moves like a shape-shifter. You can hear echoes of MF DOOM, The Isley Brothers, Sam Gendel, even Dilla, however, it never settles, and in it's 8 composition it never repeats itself. A standout high mark in today’s jazz-flavoured landscape.

Naturally, I felt a curiousity that could only be satisfied if I got to speak to the artist themselves. Excited to share with you my chat with Jerk and I hope this sheds more light on the magnificent as night falls sonic experience.

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Jerk, great to welcome you here just days after the release of as night falls. If you had to choose a single word to describe how you feel right now, what would it be?

Thanks for having me! Caffeinated :)

as night falls comes a year after your Mood Swings record (love it, by the way). You’ve been consistently releasing music since 2017 - how do you keep finding inspiration?

I have a very practical approach to making music. I’ve never had to depend on inspiration. If I sit down with the intention to make something, I’ll have at the very least a sketch of a piece of music within a couple hours. I dedicate a few months a year to just doing that, and fortunately that practice yields a lot of new music.

The album's opening track sets a dark, ominous energy, which is quickly swept away by the follow-up, “dance beneath the dripping moon,” with its lowkey funk psychedelia. Do you deliberately aim to challenge listeners by creating these polarizing sonic micro-universes?

Not necessarily! I treated the title track as an overture - something to sweep the listener into the universe of the record. "dance beneath the dripping moon" is really where the story of the record begins.

If you could design the perfect setting for someone to hear the release for the very first time, what or where would it be, and why?

Hard to say! I like listening to music while I ride my bike around the city - I could see a night bike ride being a pretty excellent setting. Seeing it live would probably be the best. This is real music played by real people, and to me that human touch is integral to the listening experience in our current world.

Ahead of this interview, I was reading the press info and was thrilled to see Goblin listed as one of your inspirations. Who or what else has influenced you?

Thad Jones and Mel Lewis’ album Potpouri is one of my favorite albums and a big holistic influence on this project. It’s a really dimensional project - simultaneously spirited and soulful while also being nuanced and quirky. 

Prince is another big influence, especially on the tracks with more blown out guitar led tracks like "dance beneath the dripping moon", "incoming", and "a divine wrath". 

The less conventional answer is that I watched dozens of medieval fantasy movies while making this record. I wanted the record to feel like the score to a hero’s journey through a dark landscape. Ladyhawke was my favorite.

I felt an instant connection with “wading.” Could you share a bit more about the story behind it? I especially love the saxophone focus - it feels so blissful.

The demo was originally written during a writing spree in the spring of 2024, and the original title "underwater". I was growing a bit tired of plugins and production, and I decided to run every instrument through guitar pedals on the way in. I wound up with something quite colorful but also quite simple. I imagine someone floating in the ocean when I hear it, and I try to play in a way that evokes that feeling—not pushing or pulling the music in any particular direction but rather submitting to that liminality.

Speaking of solos in your music, you recently shared a thought-provoking post about why you don’t include solos on every Jerk track. Could you elaborate on that decision and how it came about?

I have a lot of thoughts on this. 

When I listen to a record or go see a group where every member solos on every song, I space out. I can’t help it. Very few musicians are that compelling to me. 

There was also this culture in my own music education that a competent musician needs to be able to play every tune in any key at any speed. That’s just not true. 

More holistically, the modern world is a loud place. Choosing when to speak and when to sit back and listen is very powerful to me. 

Lastly, I would consider myself a composer first, and I'm fortunate to work with some really great musicians. Nothing is cooler to me than writing something that one of my bandmates can really soar on - even when it means I play a supporting role rather than a leading one.

You work with our friends at DeepMatter. What advice would you give artists when it comes to finding the right label or partner in today’s complicated music landscape?

There’s a balance to be had between doing it yourself and doing it alongside your community. The first few years of this project were wholly independent - I learned how to produce and distribute music, how to reach out to writers, curators, and playlisters, how to lead and book a live band, and a number of other skills. I could say the same of DeepMatter - they really figured out how to run a label properly before taking on many artists. As we started working together and continued working together, we’ve been able to continually improve together - that is the dividend of the personal investment we both made earlier on.

as night falls is part one of a two-EP narrative cycle. Why did you decide to release two EPs instead of a single LP?

Sonically and thematically, the music is day and night! I figured the boldest statement would be allowing each of those worlds to come into the world on their own. 

More practically, it’s hard to capture a person’s attention nowadays. Besides not making as much artistic sense to me, people simply wouldn’t hear as much of it if I released all 16 tracks at once.

I love the fusion of electronica, jazz, and funk on the new EP and your desire to explore new sounds. Was this your goal from the start, or did it happen more naturally?

I've never really bought into genre distinctions. Oftentimes I feel they are more for the listener than the musician. I listen to just about everything, and I make what I want to make - the listener is welcome to call it what they please.

What’s on your playlist these days? Any underground artists we should be watching?

A lot of folk and traditional music—Spafford Campbell’s Tomorrow Held, Michael McGoldrick’s Morning Rory, and Ímar’s Avalanche are three records I’ve been heavy on the last few months.

And finally, what’s next for Jerk?

as day breaks, the companion project to this one, drops in 2026. Other than that, you can find me on YouTube and Substack talking about music and see my band play around New York.