Baroque-pop, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Reid Jenkins is proud to share his debut album Hall Of Gems. Accompanying the announcement, Reid has released the official music video for “Changes,” directed by Charlie Gillette.
“Changes” is just one of ten new songs from this stunning collection of music that showcases a divergence from Jenkins’ established style, highlighting his songwriting through a new thematic structure. Hall Of Gems is available on all streaming platforms here.
Initially teased with “Giant Aster,” “Last Love,” “North Star,” and “Living Right,” Reid worked closely with mixer-engineer and producer Sahil Ansari in early 2022, to write, arrange, and orchestrate what would be known as Hall Of Gems. It’s a striking and stunning statement of intent from the rising singer-songwriter. At once recalling Sufjan Stevens’ intimate storytelling and the ornate instrumentation of Andrew Bird, Hall of Gems is intricate songwriting at its best, but with all the glorious messiness that comes from being human. Jenkins is tackling heavy and universal themes—aimlessness, malaise, and the general sense that your direction in life might be yet undecided.
Hall of Gems zeroes in on that feeling of gear-grinding drift—a record that’s about, in Reid Jenkins’ words, “Feeling stuck and unable to find a grip while spinning my wheels and feeling like a dilettante. Nothing was holding me back but me, but I was a pretty big obstacle.” Nonetheless, Jenkins undoubtedly persevered, expanding his own self-production knowledge and incorporating electronic elements to his music.
Reid Jenkins blends his sense of theatrical whimsicality, lyrical inventiveness, and a lush, warm sonic approach to instrumentation to deliver a folk-pop Odyssey that sounds as if being broadcast on a cosmic scale. Hall Of Gems is just the beginning for him.
