Jeremie Albino Talks New Album, His Voice And More

Singer-songwriter and musician Jeremie Albino has released his new album ‘Our Time In The Sun’ on Easy Eye Sound. He kindly chatted to us about the new record, his voice and more: 

When did you begin songwriting?
I wrote my first proper song 12 years ago. I still play it today, it’s my song Shipwreck.

What is your earliest musical memory?
There was always a lot of music in my life growing up. It’s hard to say the earliest, but one thing I’ll always remember is my dad would always wake us up on Sundays playing records as he would clean the house. He had a 5 CD changer and would always play good stuff. From Motown’s Hitsville compilation to James Taylor, Queen, Bob Marley, Elton John, Alberto Bertran, Harry Belafonte. All that influenced me growing up.

Your single ‘I Don’t Mind Waiting’ is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind that song?
Going into the record I was listening to a lot of old soul records and I always thought of how powerful and simple some of the songs were, even the title of songs just felt so simple and right. One of my favourite songs is ‘I Wish Someone Would Care’ by Irma Thomas. These powerful love song/ballads are something I wanted to do right, that’s the headspace I started with when writing this one. I wrote this one with Dan Auerbach and Pat McLaughlin. I just started with the line “I don’t mind waiting…” and it just felt right. We built a longing-for-love song from there and it turned out to be one of my favourites of the record.

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?
I made the music video with my longtime collaborator Mark Klassen. It was kind of a last minute shoot since I had so much touring planned. We only had a small window to shoot a video. So we thought of the simplest concept we could do, just before we had to shoot. Since the song is titled ‘I Don’t Mind Waiting’ Mark thought, “why don’t we just go out and film you in all sorts of places that you’d be waiting”. So the day before I left for the tour, we went around Toronto to a bunch of locations where I’ve caught myself waiting; An elevator, bus stop, laundromat, coffee house, crosswalk, waiting for a train. It’s a simple concept and was pretty fun to shoot and turned out perfectly.

Your new album ‘Our Time In The Sun’ is out now via Easy Eye Sound. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
The making was pretty different from what I’ve done in the past, usually I’d sit and noodle, trying to find some ideas or work on voice notes I had recorded on my phone in the past. This time around I did co-writes. It started with Dan and I at his studio in Nashville, we started talking about some of our favourite records and he asked me where I wanted to go with the album. For the past couple of years I’ve been on a big kick with soul records. I told Dan I’d like to lean into that direction for this album. Dan has an incredible collection of old 45s so we started diving in and listening to the records for inspiration. After listening to a couple of the records, we sat down and began writing. I feel like the creative juices were just flowing, especially when you’ve just been listening to some incredible deep cuts and good classic records. From there we would just repeat the process, after writing a song we’d put on some records and get inspired. After a couple days of writing we had a record, I was so excited about the demos that every time I got home, I couldn’t stop listening to the tune. We went into the studio with all these demos with some of the best musicians around. The main crew when we were tracking beds was Malcom Catto on drums, Tommy Brenneck on Bass, Little Barrie (Barrie Cadogan) on guitar, Mike Rojas on Keys and Dan leading us and playing guitar. It was just a blast in the studio, and I learned a lot in the making of this record. Dan really led the way, guided, and helped me bring out the best in me, my songwriting and performance.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?
Nashville, TN at Easy Eye Sounds with Dan Auerbach

Which of the tracks on your new album hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
a) Rolling Down the 405 – Cause it’s just a feel good song, right from the start the day it was written, I’ve just had so much fun singing it.
b) Dinner Bell – When we started recording this, the band was so hot, the studio was buzzing and I was able to really dig in on this one. I gave it my all, yelling, grunting and just really leaning into the delivery of this song.
c) Our Time In the Sun – this song is just one I feel deeply, every time I sing it it just takes me to a zone where I can be myself and sing it from the heart.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
I hope to have had fun with the performance and get off stage knowing I was able to put my heart into the performance. I also hope to just have had a connection with the audience and my band. I hope the audience feels the love, energy and work we put into our music and performance.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
My favourite is my Sunburst Harmony Rocket Electric Guitar that I’ve been playing for years now in recordings and on stage. I’ve had many different Harmony Rockets throughout the years but none that sound like this one. The pick ups on it just run a little hotter than all of the ones I’ve played. It’s just able to get that tone that I love. I fear I’ll have to retire her from the road life soon since she’s getting old and is fragile but that Harmony Rocket is definitely my favourite!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
I grew up in Scarborough, Ontario. Good Food, Family, Multicultural, Love.

How do you look after your voice?
Biggest thing I do is try to always stay hydrated. I usually make sure I drink lots of water the day before a show or if I’m singing in the studio. Another thing I do on vocal days in the studio, is to go for a run in the morning, that usually warms up my body and helps me stay loose by the time I get to the studio and start doing vocal takes. Along with those two things, I usually do some vocal warm ups with a straw and a water bottle, just to ease into the singing a bit better.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
Maybe The Jungle Book or Robin Hood, some kind of adventure tale. I’d love to do something like what Roger Miller wrote for the Robin Hood animated movies back in the 60’s.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
I can tell you who I’ve been listening to a lot lately. I love Leif Vollebekk, Dean Johnson is one of my fave songwriters and singers. Dijon’s last record is amazing. Michael Kiwanuka’s records are always inspiring. One of my forever favourite bands is The Deslondes.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024/2025?
I think we have plans to head over the pond in 2025!

Was it a difficult album to write?
Over the years writing an album has always been a challenge, some albums even a struggle. I feel like with every album, I’ve grown as a songwriter and I feel like this album was the most fun I’ve had writing a record. It was really a treat getting to write and be creative with Dan and a bunch of incredible musicians in the studio. We’d sit around the writing table and write some of my favorite songs I’ve written yet. Being there with Dan, whose an amazing musician and songwriter, along with Pat Mclaughlin, Bobby Wood, and Joe Allen, was incredible. These guys have worked on some of my favourite songs and records and have been writing songs since before I was born, they brought in a lot of wisdom and great energy. The whole album making process was just really inspiring and exciting.

What makes Jeremie Albino happy and what makes you unhappy?
Going out to my favourite coffee shop with my wife and sitting out in the sun on a Sunday morning is when I’m happiest. I’m probably at my unhappiest when I’ve realized that I can’t find my phone, keys or wallet.