JATK finds a renewed sense of hope on ‘Shut Up and Be the Light’
The eclectic debut album from Boston songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist shines through on April 15
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‘Shut Up and Be the Light’ is released digitally and on CD and vinyl format
Photo Credit: Adam Parshall
BOSTON, MASS. [April 15, 2022] – In March 2020, when everyone was doing everything they could to avoid hospitals because of the oncoming pandemic, JATK was headed directly into one. The songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist born Matt Jatkola had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and the subsequent cancer journey, treatment, recovery, and everything else that has happened in the two years since has helped shape debut album Shut Up and Be the Light. The 12-track LP, preceded by six singles plus six new tracks, is set for release April 15 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats.
Themes of existentialism and mortality help develop the core of Shut Up and Be the Light. It’s also a collaborative album that will be described as Jatkola’s experimentation with power-pop, synth-pop, R&B, and other eclectic styles and sounds that shape the music. But the true core of this LP isn’t an ailment or even an easily defined genre; it’s hope.
“Yes, this album is all about hope,” Jatkola says. “You would think that being diagnosed with cancer and the world shutting down due to a pandemic within days of each other would have the opposite effect on my point of view, but I just didn't see it that way. All I had was hope. I mean, if you think about it, you can't get much lower than that, right? I had everything to complain about, but what good was it going to do? All I could do was be present, look ahead to the future, and try to make that better.”
That shines through across the LP, showcasing Jatkola’s strengths as an artist, musician, and producer, and though the sound tightly packaged here may jump around in terms of different styles, instrumentation, feelings, and approaches, it’s still cohesive and tells a story. And like anything fit for 2022, there are several layers and corridors that funnel these stories, from his personal experiences to those shared by communities struggling with the pandemic to overarching themes of social awareness and empathy. Shut Up and Be The Light shines out of the speakers with a rightful purpose. And the urgency and drive that Jatkola weaves so flawlessly into rock and pop music comes straight from the heart.
“The reality is when I was sick in bed during my cancer treatments,” Jatkola admits, “I was thinking about how much I wanted to get better so I could make music, and more specifically, this album. If that's not a sign that I really mean it, I don't know what is. This album, even during the most trying of times, has been a light in the dark. That's one of the reasons it's titled Shut Up and Be the Light.”
Though some of the compositions on the album trace back through Jatkola’s various bands, projects, and collaborations over the years, Shut Up and Be the Light is firmly rooted in the now – to say nothing of the LP’s nearly 20 collaborators, all who worked remotely with Jatkola over the past two years, never once appearing in the same room as him. Themes of existentialism and mortality, breaking free from the mental and emotional restrictions we often place on ourselves and others, giving it everything and not holding back run through these dozen songs, crafted in the most 2022 way possible – connected through technology, but ultimately from a distance. Under the glossy surface, it’s quite simply music of empowerment and ambition, one massive hook and chorus at a time.
“I could've made a rock album. I could've made a synth-pop album. I could've made an R&B album. I could've made an acoustic album,” Jatkola reasons. “It would be easier in so many ways to focus on just one of those things and stay in one lane, but I feel it's important to set the precedent for a diversity of styles and sounds – not only for this album, but as a basis for future JATK projects. So I did it all at once. Make your own rules! I didn't want to put out a batch of songs that wouldn't also be enlightening. I want this album to have some meaning beyond being a group of songs that I like. I hope it inspires something in others, just like the things I've written about have inspired me.”
That inspiration came from a spectrum of experiences. In April 2021, JATK kicked off this new era with “When Tomorrow Comes,” a wildly celebratory, high-energy rock and roll anthem with nods to ‘70s prog, glam, and power-pop and ‘90s alternative rock bursting through the speakers. From there came a string of eccentric singles: Power-pop firecracker “Japanese Butterfly”; melancholic alt-country cruiser “Conscious Wonder”; dream-like hymnal “Ride The Wind”; the Prince-inspired R&B independence jam “Don’t Call”; and the quirky, synth-pop fueled “Never Gonna Be Your Girl, Friend.”
Each of JATK’s six singles dating back less than a year has shown a different mood, a different vibe. And the new tracks, like album centerpiece “Making Love Til We're Breaking Up”, co-produced by Benny Grotto and featuring live strings, jangle-pop yearner “Slide Back Down” and opener/closer “Leave You”, all further this notion of unpredictability, all joined together by Jatkola’s knack for melody and storytelling. Like the rollercoaster of emotions we all endure when faced with trauma, JATK’s creative output speaks to a mind racing and a heart beating.
“I'm coming out on the other end of a pandemic and my own cancer journey as someone who feels things differently and more personally than I did before,” says Jatkola. “The first full song on the album, ‘Easy to Kill’, includes a bunch of news reports playing in the background about the Breonna Taylor shooting. I remember feeling less overwhelmed by the pandemic and cancer, and more overwhelmed with the stories that were coming out about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, or later with the January 6 Capitol riots, or now with the war in Ukraine. These injustices are always buzzing around in the background and it's like there's no way to stop them. I wanted to capture that with that song and this album.”
Jatkola understands this album is bigger than him. Or his cancer journey. Or life, death, and relentless pursuit to move on and move forward that drives each of us to find whatever makes us happy, whatever allows us to pull through and see the next day, breathe our next breath, or record that next album.
“That idea is a huge part of the emotional tapestry of the album,” he adds. “You might not be able to stop all the bad in the world, but you can shut up and be the light, do good in the ways you're able, and hope that it makes a difference.”
Contact michael@publisist.co or jatktheband@gmail.com for more information.
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On ‘Shut Up and Be the Light’, by Matt Jatkola:
On existentialism & mortality. “Can't skirt around this one. I went through a cancer diagnosis and months of chemo and radiation treatments during a time when everything shut down due to a worldwide pandemic. I'd be lying if I said I didn't contemplate my own mortality over the past couple years and questioned what it all means or what my place is in the universe. That's the string holding the album together. It pops up in almost every song in some way.”
On not staying in his lane. “I could've made a rock album. I could've made a synth-pop album. I could've made an R&B album. I could've made an acoustic album. It would be easier in so many ways to focus on just one of those things and stay in one lane, but I feel it's important to set the precedent for a diversity of styles and sounds - not only for this album, but as a basis for future JATK projects. So I did it all at once. Make your own rules!”
On not holding back. “This is the debut JATK album. It's the first album of original music I've released in almost a decade. Many say the album format isn't relevant anymore, but what I want to say doesn't fit in one song. I want it to be appreciated as a whole, which has many parts. I've really struggled as an artist with this shift to singles and streaming/playlist culture, to the point where I've held back music because of it. With this project, I said no more! I'm putting it all out there and I'm going to work within those parameters instead. It's been a great year of not holding back and now I'm ready to really open the flood gates with the album.”
On being the light. “I didn't want to put out a batch of songs that wouldn't also be enlightening. I want this album to have some meaning beyond being a group of songs that I like. I hope it inspires something in others, just like the things I've written about have inspired me.”
On collaboration. “I tried to do a count, and it's safe to say over 20 musicians and producers actively collaborated with me on this record in various forms (not to mention those who collaborated on the non-musical elements of the album as well). I'm used to the good old fashioned band model where you're always working with the same few people for months or years at a time, and that's your band. Maybe you work with a producer along the way for recording, but that's the point of all you're doing – The Band. JATK is not that, and it's quite exciting and inspiring in that way, even though I do think of this as a band in other ways. It's almost like I have a different band on every track! I can steer the ship, but I can still have other musicians and producers give valuable contributions and input on a song. Best of all, I don't have the shackles of interpersonal band dynamics! It's the happiest I've ever been making music and I think it shows in the music. Everyone who worked on the songs did something I wouldn't or couldn't have done myself. That's the magic. I value having control over the final outcome, but I don't ever want to work in a vacuum or do everything, so it's the best of both worlds.”
On a dedication. “The album is dedicated to Ben Ruggles and Mike Denneen. Ben Ruggles was my partner's dad, whom we lost to cancer in 2019. Mike Denneen was a producer, co-founder of Q Division Studios, and president of the board at the Mosesian Center for the Arts where I worked with him closely. We lost Mike to cancer in 2018. Both of these men upheld the idea of shutting up and being the light. I follow their examples. Because of how quickly they left us, I truly don't think I would've gone to the doctor and gotten anything checked out for way longer, if at all, and who knows what would've been in that case. I dedicate this album to them because even though they had to leave, they helped me continue on.”
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‘Shut Up and Be the Light’ album art:
Art Credit: Niki Fandel
Says Jatkola: “The donuts do serve a higher purpose. The first JATK EP featured an onion on a stark white background. I knew early on I wanted to continue that aesthetic and that donuts would be the food I'd focus on for Shut Up and Be the Light. First of all, I love donuts. Who doesn't love donuts? But there's a catch with these. They're bitten, broken, smashed, reduced to crumbs – choose your form of fucked up. These donuts have seen some shit. These are misfit donuts. These donuts are damaged by time and experience – just like me, and just like you. Once I figured this out, I knew they'd be the perfect allegory for the album.”
“On each single’s cover art, each donut embodies the spirit of the song, and that did not happen arbitrarily. On the album cover, the scene of donut desecration is the perfect metaphor for everything life has handed us. I have to give a shout out to Niki Fandel, who discussed The Philosophy of Donuts with me at length and how we would put it into action through photography. If there was a collaboration on this album that met and then exceeded my expectations, I would point to this one.”
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JATK short bio:
JATK (pronounced “Jack”), the power-pop project from Boston-based songwriter Matt Jatkola and his circle of collaborators, cranks up an arsenal of hooks and riffs with affecting jolts of guitar-rock reflected through his knack for pop melody. With the release of six eclectic singles between 2021 and 2022, the debut full-length album Shut Up and Be the Light is set for release on April 15.
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‘Shut Up and Be the Light’ credits:
All songs written by Matt Jatkola
Produced by Matt Jatkola
Except “Making Love Til We’re Breaking Up”
Produced by Benny Grotto & Matt Jatkola
Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East, Somerville, MA
Track Sequence by Andy Szymcik
Photography by Niki Fandel
Design and Layout by Matt Jatkola
© & ℗ 2022, 2 STEP IZ DED (ASCAP)
"Leave You (Reprise)"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, Mellotron
Bryan Mastergeorge: Keyboards
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Bryan Mastergeorge at The Sound Garden, Beverly, MA
Mixed by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
"Easy to Kill"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar, programming, samples
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
Mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, Allston, MA
"Never Gonna Be Your Girl, Friend"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizers, vocoder, programming
Seth Botos: Drums
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Seth Botos at Studio 52, Allston, MA
Mixed by Adam Taylor at Bang-A-Song Studios, Gloucester, MA
"Don’t Call"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, piano, bass, drum programming
D. Orxata: Phone call
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
Mixed by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
"Japanese Butterfly"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar, bass
Anthony Hoey: Lead guitar
Seth Botos: Drums
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Anthony Hoey at The Wallpaper Room, Brooklyn, NY; Seth Botos at Studio 52, Allston, MA
Mixed by Adam Taylor at Bang-A-Song Studios, Gloucester, MA
"Making Love Til We’re Breaking Up"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, programming
D. Orxata: Additional vocals
Chris Barrett: Trumpet, euphonium
Eden Rayz: Cello
Eva Walsh: Violin, viola
String & horn arrangement by Chris Barrett
Recorded by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, Allston, MA; Chris Barrett at The Corner, Plantsville, CT; Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
Mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, Allston, MA
Produced by Benny Grotto & Matt Jatkola
"Gas Station"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar, bass, programming
Anika Pyle: Additional vocals
Seth Botos: Drums
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Seth Botos at Studio 52, Allston, MA; Anika Pyle, Philadelphia, PA
Mixed by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
"When Tomorrow Comes"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar
Kiel Szivos: Bass
Matthew Glover: Drums
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Kiel Szivos at Parker's Room, Auburn, MA; Matthew Glover at The Napoleon Complex, Somerville, MA
Mixed by Adam Taylor at Bang-A-Song Studios, Gloucester, MA
"Ride the Wind"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming, samples
Nicole O'Neal: Bass
Tim Wright: Drum programming
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Nicole O’Neal at Pup Fiction Studio, Indianapolis, IN; Tim Wright at Trainsong Studio, Arlington, MA
Mixed by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
"Slide Back Down"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Emily Goldstein: Piano
Tim Wright: Drums
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Emily Goldstein, Northridge, CA; Tim Wright at Trainsong Studio, Arlington, MA
Mixed by Annie Hoffman, Portland, ME
"Conscious Wonder"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar
Anthony Hoey: Additional vocals
Anthony Savino: Lap steel
Kiel Szivos: Bass
Tim Wright: Drums
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Anthony Hoey at The Wallpaper Room, Brooklyn, NY; Anthony Savino, Northridge, CA; Kiel Szivos at Parker's Room, Auburn, MA; Tim Wright at Trainsong Studio, Arlington, MA
Mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, Allston, MA
"Leave You"
Matt Jatkola: Vocals, guitar
Bryan Mastergeorge: Keyboards
Recorded by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA; Bryan Mastergeorge at The Sound Garden, Beverly, MA
Mixed by Matt Jatkola at Peace & Love Laboratories, Arlington, MA
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JATK alternative press photos:
Photo Credits: Adam Parshall
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The music of JATK has been heard and featured on:
The Rodney Bingenheimer Show on SiriusXM, The Honey Pop, Real Gone Rocks, idobi Radio, UncertainFM, The River 92.5 FM (Boston), Oh Hello Boston, If It’s Too Loud, Citywide Blackout, BumbleBee Radio, WZBC’s Virtual Detention, Mark Skin Radio (Christian’s Cosmic Corner, Sound Street Radio, Original Music Showcase, Marc’s Alt-Rock Playground), Your First Listen (KNNZ 89.1 FM), Eric Alper’s 360 Degrees, Sweet Sunday Sounds on Banks Radio (Australia), BICT Radio, Garagerocktopia with Robert Kreutzer, POP! The Beat Bubble Burst on KDHX, Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, WMBR (The Paradox Box), WMFO Tufts University (Rising with Skybar and On The Town with Mikey D), Reclaimed Radio UK (Laura Beth’s Mixtape Show), Everything You Know Is Wrong on WMWM Salem State, Bay State Rock, Tinnitist, Lonely Oak Radio, The Menace’s House of Indies, A1M Records (Indie Rock Manchester), Nova Southeastern University’s Radio X, WODU Old Dominion University, Blood Makes Noise, Ricky’s Daily Bangers, and other fine radio stations, outlets, blogs, and programs.
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Media praise for JATK:
“A brisk, uplifting joy.” _Worcester Magazine
“Such poppy magic” _Boston Emissions
"...a fresh blast of indie rock/power-pop.” _Rebel Noise
“‘Japanese Butterfly’ is a burst of mid-’90s style power pop with some T-Rex style glam thrown in. It's all buzzy guitars swirling with some of the catchiest vocals around... [it's] one of the most positive songs about cancer out there."_If It’s Too Loud
"Opening with a wall of feedback... the song announces its arrival with a dark undertone, but barely thirty seconds in, its thinly disguised sunny alt-pop melody calls out with real confidence, while Matt's distorted guitar cranks through the riffs as if it's 1993 and he's an aspiring Bob Mould." _Real Gone Rocks
“[‘Japanese Butterfly’s’] guitar riffs sound straight out of a Dinosaur Jr. or Superdrag track from the ‘90s. On this maxi-single the great guitar work is even more apparent on the instrumental version. I don’t usually give grades or bullshit like that but this gets an A in my book, this student of music was paying attention in class.” _Blood Makes Noise
“The performer casts aside his usual Smashing Pumpkins, Cure, and Slowdive chops, opting for something completely different [with 'Don't Call']. So different, in fact, that you'd never recognize it as JATK at all... As homage to the much missed Prince and some of his more wayward pop experiments, it's pretty much perfect... via a mix of sheer balls and melodic ear, JATK serves a winner with this left field offering.” _Real Gone Rocks
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Media contact and all press/radio inquiries: michael@publisist.co or jatktheband@gmail.com
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