The debut album from singer/songwriter Jake McElfresh aka Front Porch Step – ‘Aware’ saw its physical release this month through Pure Noise Records. The record itself has been around since November last year and it’s one that will be known for its incredibly honest and hard hitting nature. ‘Aware’ is a beautiful record, every song is packed with emotion that deals with topics covering suicide, death, heartbreak and hope. Jake McElfresh truly pours everything he has into it and it’s incredibly difficult not to identify and be taken in completely by the whole thing.
Overall, ‘Aware’ is essentially a man with a guitar and a story to tell, the arrangement is minimal with the focus landing entirely on the lyrical content, something which McElfresh does incredibly well, you only have to listen to the album swansong ‘ I Won’t Say That I’m Ok’ and the final few spoken words to appreciate exactly how much he has put into it and more importantly it never feels forced or contrived, just honest. ‘Island of the Misfit Boy’ is another stand out track, a song that McElfresh has put out there and said it was intended to be his suicide note and without sounding too morbid, you can tell, the song is clearly an outlet for every frustration and hopeless moment he’s gone through (“The world taught me angst when I deserved joy,”) the song is almost desperate in that it’s clearly somebody who was crying out for help and not getting it at the time, something which a lot of people listening to this record for some kind of cathartic reason will identify wholly with, but I guess that’s where the positivity comes in… the very fact that the song didn’t end up as his suicide note and that McElfresh found his crutch through music spells out hope for anybody listening that it can and does get better and that’s why this record is so important.
At the same time, there is no part of this album that deserves praise simply based on pity. The melodies and vocal stylings are constantly impressive and there are songs that do their best to overcome the general melancholic feel of the album. The likes of ‘If I Tremble’ and ‘Lullaby’ are great love songs and it speaks volumes that in his short time as a more well known artist, McElfresh has seen two successful marriage proposals during his live sets.
Overall, ‘Aware’ is essential listening, in various interviews and blog posts McElfresh makes it clear how important music is to him and ‘Aware’ is a true testament to that. This record will be used as a crutch for many going through the same experiences as McElfresh has written about, in his own words “I accidentally wrote a song that described what so many are feeling. The kids that listen to it don’t feel so alone anymore. And when they message me and tell me their stories, I don’t feel so alone.” and this captures every reason as to why music is so important, it helps people share experiences and realise that they won’t be alone in going through whatever shitty time they’re going through at the moment. This record will mean a lot to a lot of people, it’s stark and brutal lyrics means that it doesn’t really have a say in that. A truly remarkable debut album.
BECKI SMITH