Premiere: Debut EP from Asbury Park's prim

Cover photo by Kelsey Ayres

Awake Again

To realize prim's debut EP, Awake Again, singer / songwriter Jenna Murphy has assembled a group of immensely talented people whose names should be recognizable to anyone who stops by here with any degree of regularity. prim are Murphy along with Jeff Lane and Erik Kase Romero of dollys and Mike Linardi and Chris Beninato of Toy Cars. Lisa Romero also lends some beautiful piano to Awake Again. In a brief conversation with Murphy a few weeks back, she was effusive in describing her bandmates' contributions to her songs. "They just took them somewhere else," she said.

Photo: Kelsey Ayres

You can hear the results of that collaboration today as we premiere Awake Again right here. The set opens with the title track. Erik Kase Romero's production is crisp and clean. Murphy's voice floats around the band's staccato approach as she sings, "Awake again... ...and you won't hold me down." That contrast between buttoned-up pop production and raw emotion is present throughout the EP.

"Holiest" starts quietly with acoustic guitar and some restrained vocals from Murphy. "Spare me a minute of your time." As the song builds, Murphy becomes more emphatic as she repeats the verse with some slight changes indicating her growing frustration and loss of control. "Give me just a minute of your damn time."

"It's Because I Cut My Hair" and "Of Course I Do" both deal with loss and guilt. I guess I could imagine both songs in some acoustic singer / songwriter version. Here, though, both are lush, rolling pop. The additional vocal tracks paired with the full-band arrangements take some extremely personal things and turn them outward, making them feel universal.

"Spilt Milk" premiered on January 11th, National Milk Day, with our friends at YouDontKnowJersey.com. The band hang back a bit as Murphy repeats to herself that old advice about not crying, but her head and her heart aren't on exactly the same page.

Give a listen to prim's Awake Again below. The EP is a true collaboration among a bunch of amazingly talented people, and I'm excited to be able to share it with you. It's available right now over at prim's Bandcamp page.

prim celebrate the EP's release with a show at Random House in New Brunswick this Saturday, February 4th. Also on that bill are Seamstress, Well Wisher, and Bone & Marrow.