The Writing Season Honor Frontman’s Mother In New EP ‘Santa Barbara’
Emo pop rock outfit, The Writing Season were once a staple in the South Texas music scene. They played shows at Fallback Records, back when it was still alive and they helped transform the valley’s quiet music scene into an active and passionate community. And then, towards the middle of 2013, the group started to play fewer and fewer shows until they eventually stopped playing all together.
Over a period of a few months, the group disbanded as each member began to figure things out on their own. Some moved away for school and others got jobs outside of the valley.
Fast forward four years. It’s July 2016; and, after vocalist and guitarist JJ Juarez’ father passed away, he began to realize how precious the people around him were. JJ, who lives in Houston, wanted to create music with his friends from the valley as a way to honor his mother and find closure.
After this realization, JJ called the band’s original guitarist, Dexter Garza. It was as simple as asking him if he wanted to play music again. “It was a no brainer,” Dexter said. The chemistry was already there, so why let a good thing go to waste?
Now that Dexter agreed, the paid needed a bassist. JJ called Eric Lopez, who played bass int he original lineup. Eric got the phone call while he was at work. He didn’t answer, so JJ told him to call him back later. JJ was never the type of person to tell Eric to call him back, so Eric wondered what his friend was up to.
When he returned the call, JJ told him his idea. “We’re playing a show in November,” he told Eric. JJ was serious; an hour after Eric agreed to re-join the band, JJ called him back with a date and location for the reunion show.
Now that they had three members, the pressure was on to find a drummer. For personal reasons, the band’s original drummer couldn’t re-join the band. Eric suggested they get in touch with his buddy Gilbert Rios. Sure enough, Gilbert got an email from JJ asking if he wanted to join the band. He said yes hoping it would turn into something that would help get his mind off things.
After The Writing Season joined forces for the second time, they got to writing.
In the Hispanic culture, when kids grow up, they usually buy their mom a new house or car. Sometimes they pay her bills for her. JJ wanted to do something more personal for his mother. He wanted to create something that would be around forever. He decided there was no better way to show his mother his appreciation for her than to create a tangible piece of art and name it in her honor.
The result is a 4-track EP titled Santa Barbara. The cover art is meant to look like an I SPY book. Looking at is creates a feeling of nostalgia that takes people back to their childhoods. “We put in a bunch of my old toys, my dad’s things, and other items relevant to my life right now,” JJ said about the photo.
The album is about familiarity. It’s about going back to a familiar place, getting back in the swing of things, and reliving those experiences. For this release, it was important for JJ go back to the valley to write it. It didn’t make sense for him to write for it while he was living in Houston.
Opening song “I Was Going Through A Change” starts off with a growing guitar melody that gets a little louder with each passing second.
"I'm sorry it took me so damn long, I know it's been a while since I've spilled my guts to you, everything here has changed oh nothing is the same" JJ sings.
The song talks about growth and change in a way that sounds like early 2000s alternative bands. Lines like, "Mom, leave the light on so I can find my room when I get home," add to the album’s nostalgia. The song tells a story about leaving home and realizing how different everything has become.
“Pastry War Hangover” changes perspectives a bit as JJ reflects on the life he built for himself outside of the valley. The title leaves a lot to the imagination, but it doesn’t disappoint. This sounds sounds more punky than the previous one. It sounds like something that Real Friends would release. "I found the secret to my happiness and peace of mind, it's been burning inside me all this time," they sing. This is exactly what the song is about: realizing that you can control your own happiness.
There's talk about dirty sheets, wrinkled clothes, Saturday morning hangovers, and feeling incomplete. Towards the last third of the song, the band add a surprising twist. A fingerpicking tune introduces a more melodic, almost swingy verse that sounds like something straight out of Pinegrove's Cardinal album.
The song keeps building up before ending on a high note. “Well I spent the new year alone in my bed, fireworks didn't wake me up, I've grown so out of touch.”
The Writing Season always throw out curve balls towards the end of their songs. Each song tends to quickly build up before rolling into the next one. It's nothing drastic, just good work from both the band and the producer.
“Another Year Spent Alone” is no exception. The song stands out among the album as it is a softer, more acoustic track. The song is written from JJ’s perspective as he’s watching his mom grow old alone.
“I know you've had time to think about it and you don't feel the way you used to anymore, don't tell me that you're fine just for the sake of conversation, I know you better than that,” JJ talk sings.
“And I'll miss waking up to that coffee smell,” he sings, picking up the pace again like I’ve come to expect. “While I set up the table for you and me before our last goodbyes are said again.”
Unlike the rest of the album, you might get through “25 Years Of Sunday” without getting a particular sense of deja vu. This is one of the rawest and more personal songs on the release. The song, which was written about JJ’s father, has a piano playing in the background that creates a church-like effect. It is introspective and slow, and sees the protagonist starting to doubt themselves and the decisions they’ve made.
The song poses questions like "Did you ever find yourself or those things you were looking for?" and "Does it make a difference?" Instead of ending on a hard note like the previous songs, this one fades out slowly before shutting off. And it’s over. The emotional rollercoaster ended just as quickly as it started.
This release is special. The beauty of the album is that it doesn’t just scratch the surface. It digs deep. The album shows a band who have grown out of their angsty teenage phase. instead of writing about girls and relationships, the band are taking a step back and being more intentional about their writing.
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