The Wild Jays

We told you about the new local psych rock trio The Wild Jays when we debuted their first single “Out In The Fields” back in April, and, now, we are thrilled to present a full stream of their debut album Murmurations. The band, which is composed of guitarist/vocalist Trevor Willmott, bassist/vocalist Mike Walker, and drummer Ryan Usher, was never meant to be. What started as a jam session amongst friends parlayed into throwing caution to the wind and recording a new record, and the result is a sonically joyful collection of eleven psychedelic soundscapes that continue to show off Nashville’s burgeoning psych rock scene.

Head below to give the full record a spin a day ahead of its official release, and mark your calendar for their album release show on Friday, June 3 at Meal Ticket. The release show also features Kat Milk Blu, Twiggs, and Liz Cooper and the Stampede. Tickets are a mere $5 at the door, starts at 8 p.m., and the band is reportedly stocking up the DIY space with beer for those in attendance. You can find out more details about the release show at the Facebook event page. - No Country For New Nashville

Vibrancy is the central force that carries Murmurations, the mighty-promising debut from The Wild Jays. From its cover art that looks like a Rorschach test by way of a pomegranate to the last seconds of the last track, even the slow moments are miles-deep caverns of sunny reverberations. Produced to a delightfully soupy, swirly consistency, the range of influences is similarly mixed. Perhaps appropriately, there's a heavy vibe of 60's folk and psych (what's a "Wild Jay" if not a Byrd anyhow?), but it's mingled in with post-punk, new wave, a touch of Sergio Leone, and even some Deer Hunter-esque unease in places. This is one that benefits from a cover-to-cover listen, so get to clicking that play button below. -Austin Phy - The Deli Magazine

New band alert! The Wild Jays are new local psych rock trio that are preparing to release their debut LP, Murmurations, on June 3, and we are excited to premiere their single “Out In The Fields” to get you in the know about this killer new project. Formed by a group of friends from different projects in the local scene, whose frustrations with the industry almost sent them packing from music altogether. It was a few chance hang outs and relaxed jam sessions that led them to realize that together they possessed an undeniable chemistry. The Wild Jays are comprised of guitarist and lead vocalist Trevor Willmott, bassist and vocalist Mike Walker, and drummer Ryan Usher.

We asked Ryan about the new project, and he told us, “We had no intention of being a band honestly, but the chemistry was unquestionable. So we wrote record, and we let nothing hold us back. We wrote as if no one would ever hear it. We wrote just for us. Just to make ourselves happy. And that’s what Murmurations is to us. It’s us being us. Us just saying fuck you to caring about what the rest of the world thinks. And it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been apart of.”

We can’t argue with that. One listen to the lush psychedelic soundscapes painted in the new single “Out In The Fields,” and we think you’ll agree this is a band to keep an eye on. Head below to get in the know and mark your calendar as they will playing in support of New Madrid at The Basement East on April 28 and will be hosting their official release show on June 3 at Meal Ticket with Liz Cooper & The Stampede and Twiggs. - No Country For New Nashville

I often find myself, sometimes randomly and sometimes through my own doings, in the company of some very talented and creative musicians — it is Nashville after all. I was reminded of this a couple months ago when a friend invited me to sit in on emerging Nashville-based psychedelic rock band The Wild Jays’ video shoot for their debut single “Candy Lights.”

The Wild Jays hone sounds pleasantly reminiscent of My Morning Jacket, Foxygen and Tame Impala in the new single. “Candy Lights” comes off the band’s upcoming debut album titled Murmurations, which is set to be followed, much in the style of Bowie with Low and Heros, by second album from the Wild Jay’s within the same year.

The video for “Candy Lights” captures a Fear and Loathing-esque view on a current generational costume party scene, in which a character played by Abbey Philbrick of the Twiggs drinks a vial full of a mysterious neon potion, plunging her into an alternate state of consciousness where she joins a masked group of party goers dancing lucidly under a neon glow to the atmospheric layered vocals and big splashy drum sounds of “Candy Lights.” As if the scene wasn’t trippy enough, cue the prince of psychedelia himself Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips to walk casually through the door of the shed in Willmot’s backyard where the video is being filmed with his girlfriend Katy Weaver, who without hesitation joined the strangers in animal masks in drinking a vial of the neon potion. Why? Who really knows.

Watch the exclusive premiere of the Wild Jay’s debut single “Candy Lights” below.

-Shanning - Lockeland Sprinsteen

The Wild Jays are a psychedelic rock band conceived from the minds of three friends who got their start in the Nashville basement scene. Trevor Willmott creates washy soundscapes on guitar with dreamy vocal melodies and introspective lyrics, while drummer Ryan Usher and bassist Mike Walker provide a complex and driving rhythm section. These elements combine to create a sound that is at times intimate and haunting, yet others heavy and chaotic. The focus of the band is to create music collaboratively, having no defined creative leader.

“Kali” is a sun-washed, psychedelic single from their upcoming debut, Murmurations, set for release on June 3rd. “The lyrics reflect on feelings of isolation and desire, but open up to a sense of rebirth and possibility,” says frontman Trevor Willmott. “I wrote them the morning after a long dreamy night of sorts at a warehouse party. I had met a girl named Kali, and both of our lives seemed to be in turmoil at the time. The song came to mean more to me spiritually after learning that Kali is a goddess of sorts in eastern religion. When I sing it now it’s more about breaking through inner illusions than any particular person or place.” - East of 8th