Synth-driven music gained prominence in the late 1970s, but always felt lacking in the organic and natural sound that came from instruments--until now. An LA-based duo called JOME is taking synth-pop by storm and revolutionizing the traditionally artificial sound that seemed to always go hand in hand with music that relied heavily on synthesizers. Made up of lyricist Jesse Marc and Christoph Andersson, the man responsible for expanding upon the lyrics with his dreamlike synth sounds, JOME has been creating music that is pop but with something more; the duo has weaved deeper feeling into the sound that really resonates with the audience by putting words to experience that can sometimes feel indescribable.

The woodland sounding pop duo Jesse Marc and Christoph Andersson first came together as JOME in the spring of 2016, ironically in the woods. Not even five minutes after lyricist Marc had published his first song “Brushstrokes”, that he recorded in the forests of Northern California, DJ and record producer Andersson reached out to him. At the time, Andersson had already established himself in the music industry even though you may have never heard his name; he has repeatedly worked with G-Eazy and even co-wrote and produced two of his albums. JOME’s first collaboration, “Brushstrokes”, has a sweeping sound via Andersson that accompanies the poetic lyrics of Marc and perfectly lays the foundation for their album Tunnels that was released in November of 2017.

Their debut album Tunnels, has the imagery of nature woven into every song, evident in song titles such as “Snow”, “Branches”, and “Mountains”. Many songs deal with the comparison of nature to love and relationships as a way to explain experience that can seem so normal, in a new and beautiful way. Each song on Tunnels has its own watercolor art to accompany it which perfectly encapsulates the peaceful feeling that JOME’s debut album exudes; each song is also incredibly personal to the lyricist Jesse Marc. The most popular off the album is the gorgeous and emotional “Cinnamon” that boasts stunning lyrics full of imagery and crackling synth that repeatedly fades in and out, creating an almost haunting ambiance around it. “Cinnamon” opens with a melodious lonely guitar and as the lyrics enter they weave in and out with the guitar, then synth line slowly builds and completely envelopes the listener. “Cinnamon” has a sound that is evocative of a melancholy summer and the warmth of love.

My personal favorite is “Snow”, a stinging reminder of lost love that still maintains JOME’s classic breathy and dreamlike sound. “Snow” is led by Marc’s passionate lyrics that seem to be full of grief and accompanied by a quiet synth line. In an interview, Marc said that, “‘Snow’ is about the inevitability of distance breaking two people apart regardless of how much love there is between them. There is always a sense of ‘what if’ and regret that comes after. This song is meant to give power over the past relationships that haunt us in the back of our minds.” Following suit with Marc’s description, the opening phrase of “Snow” is full of remorse and remembrance:

What if we lived in the same town?
What would have happened then?
I can see you in your winter gloves
Wishing that I never left
Throat closing, waving from across the street
Heartbroken, you still got a piece of me

For me, “Snow” is one of Tunnels standout songs because it has put words to something so painful. By taking a heartbreaking situation and explain it with delicate yet poignant lyrics, it has taken a mournful situation and sees it as something beautiful. The couplet-like lyrics “I didn't mean to let you go/I still see you in the snow” finish off the song with the reminder that no matter how hard we can try to move on, we never can really forget someone we loved and wonder “what if”.

With recent releases like “Ghost” on April 20 and “Are We Okay Now” JOME shows no evidence of slowing down or having hit a creative block. While JOME’s sound may be produced almost entirely from synths, it never once becomes artificial. JOME has created an ageless and rare type of music that you can really feel and that, according to Marc, “you can wrap your hands around and hold”. For me, JOME will always remain a personal favorite of mine because of how well they put to words experiences that can shape and reshape you and, even when those experience may be ugly, somehow makes them into living and breathing art.