Scroll To Top
Music

Anatomy of an Album: JD Samson & MEN

Homerot1_jd_samson_music

The inspirations for their latest release, 'Labor'

Labor, the new release from electropop outfit MEN, is primarily the brainchild of singer-producer JD Samson, an ex-Le Tigre member who's recently found herself preoccupied with house, disco, and the tug-of-war between her stage and real-life personas. "I really felt like there was a disconnect," she says, "but I recognized the separation, who I truly am, through writing this record." Here, her inspirations for the album.

002_jd_samson_music_0Love Committee,
"Law and Order"

"I heard the 12-inch in a music shop somewhere and ended up buying it on vinyl on eBay, the only place I could find it. Then I sent it to my bandmates with the intention of building on it."

003_jd_samson_musicLucy R. Lippard,
I See/You Mean

"She's a 1970s and '80s feminist writer, and this is somewhere between psychoanalysis and fiction. It made me think more experimentally about narrative structure and work less literally lyrically."

005_jd_samson_musicPlanningtorock
"Listening to her helped remind me what I'm doing as a musician: creating a narrative and a soundscape and still maintaining my political stance, personal truths, and sincerity as a human. I consider her a sister in the music world."

PortraitartisGerald Alper, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Patient
"This book got me thinking about the psychoanalysis of an artist and what I wanted to do with my work. The Labor song 'Neon Poles' is the perfect example: It's totally a pop song, but the content is a complete psychoanalysis of myself."

004_jd_samson_musicNigerian and South African Dance Music
"I spent a few weeks only listening to '70s Nigerian disco funk--like the Sahara All Stars and T-Fire--and South African house, like Survivor's 'Stjwetla,' trying to cleanse my ears of the standard American rhythm and tone."

006_jd_samson_musicCaster Semenya
Samson wrote Labor's "Semenya" from the South African runner's perspective: "She was questioned about being a man and had to take a test to prove she was a woman. It must have been so scary and embarrassing. I felt really connected to this story--I pass as a man, but I'm a woman."

LISTEN to "Let Them Out or Let Me In" below:

AdvocateChannel promoOut Magazine - Ricky Martin

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Be sure to follow Out on your favorite social platforms!

FacebookInstagramTwitterTikTok

Want more news, top stories, and videos? Check out the all NEW Advocate Channel!
Your 24/7 streaming source for equality news and lifestyle trends.
Click this link right now:
https://advocatechannel.com

Latest Stories