Photo by Tonje Thilesen
Hold me for the moment, forget the could have beens
The past is irretrievable, the future deeply uncertain. Somewhere in between, if we’re lucky enough to find it, is a glimmer of recognition: the only thing that matters is here in this exact moment. I Won’t Let Me Down, the latest full-length from Stolen Jars, inhabits the present so vividly that it feels infinite.
Exuberant in its melancholy, kinetic in its longing, I Won’t Let Me Down is a record of self-discovery, the open space between losing love and finding it again. Lead vocalists Cody Fitzgerald and Sarah Coffey sing to each other across the gap — on “Reality TV,” they align for each chorus, on “In The Bad Times,” they’re literally split in the stereo field. In melody and harmony, their perspectives intertwine — as the band put together the record, Fitzgerald was beginning a new relationship while Coffey was exiting an old one. There are no contradictions here: every moment of acceptance erupts with energy, every moment of tension passes with peace.
The good stuff’s always over, or I just never went
On I Won’t Let Me Down, Stolen Jars arrive as a full band of collaborators. What began as the personal project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Cody Fitzgerald now flourishes in collaboration with co-lead vocalist and songwriter Sarah Coffey, guitarist, co-producer and songwriter Elias Spector-Zabusky, drummer Isaiah Hazzard, and keyboardist Grant Meyer. Mixed by Hop Along’s Joe Reinhart and with further collaborations from Frankie Cosmos’ Greta Kline, I Won’t Let Me Down channels its contributions into the most crystalline music the band has made to date.
I Won’t Let Me Down builds on the band’s history. “Ghost Towns” from their last record, A Reminder, was featured in The New York Times as one of their top tracks of the week and as the lead track on David Byrne’s Indie Pop Playlist alongside Bon Iver and Billie Eilish. Their previous work also earned placements in an Apple iPad commercial, on NPR, Stereogum and more. And right before the pandemic, Stolen Jars played their first full 30 show US tour, with multiple sold-out nights.
Run it wild, there’s a life for you
Cody Fitzgerald, the band leader, also does film scoring, including for the Disney movie Noelle, for which he co-wrote all of the songs and score. When not working with Stolen Jars, Fitzgerald produces for other artists, including past work with soul-pop band Lawrence, and songs with Tim Atlas and Aaron Taos. Sarah Coffey, the band’s co-lead singer, has gone viral on Tik Tok, where she now has over 200k followers. She starred in Stapleview, which The LA Times called the SNL of Tik Tok.