Dork cover stars Jonas Brothers have dropped their new album, ‘The Album’.
Speaking to us for our new cover feature, the band believe ‘The Album’ says something worth saying. “By expanding our creative vocabulary, we were able to open things up beyond the need for drama. We’re speaking about something that bears more weight than having a good time or life being awesome.” Joe points at ‘Little Bird’, a delicate song written about father/daughter relationships, and the Oasis-inspired ‘Walls’. “There are some complex, dynamic themes in there.”
‘The Album’ is, undeniably, a feel-good record. “The world is such a dark and intense place,” says Nick. “We like to bring positivity in where we can,” with the band naturally gravitating to upbeat themes. “It wasn’t an intentional feel-good record, but the fact it ended up there makes a lot of sense.”
“We like to bring positivity in where we can”
Nick Jonas
The Bob Dylan-inspired ‘Americana’ touches on peace and inclusion. “It’s about celebrating what makes us who we are as well as certain figures who have helped shaped culture,” explains Nick, with the track name-checking Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen and James Dean. “It’s almost anti-politics because it’s about people who represent good in the world. Blue jeans and marijuana is the America that I love.”
Then there’s ‘Summer Baby’, which started life as a Shania Twain-inspired country song and ended up paying homage to people letting loose and celebrating who they are. “We wanted to write a song that gets played at every family barbecue,” says Joe, with the band reflecting on “simpler times before the world became as complicated and nuanced as it is now.”
“As a group and as a collective of individuals, messages of inclusion and accepting all people from all walks of life are really important to us,” he adds.
The band didn’t feel pressure to make any sort of statement with their music, but those messages of acceptance just came about from conversations they were having. “There’s nothing we’ve said or done on this record that doesn’t feel completely authentic to who we are. It’s impossible to be a human being and not be sensibly aware of what’s going on in the world.”
It’s a freedom that’s typical of this latest chapter of the Jonas Brothers’ journey. Back in the noughties, pop stars were supposed to be these perfect role models, but nowadays, authenticity is king. “It’s a beautiful thing,” says Kevin. “It’s nice that we can say, ‘This is who we are; this is what we like’. Take it or leave it.”
This is an excerpt from Dork’s new Jonas Brothers cover feature. You can order a copy of the Jonas Brothers edition of June 2023’s Dork here, or below.
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