All music and lyrics by Jara Holdert / Lewin © 2019 All Rights Reserved

Lewin’s EP “For The Left Behind” consists of four songs off of her debut album, scheduled to be released in february of 2020. The album was recorded and produced with her boyfriend at the time, but before they started mixing, they broke up. All songs were inspired by their time together, and afterwards Lewin could hear how she had unknowingly predicted their coming break-up in all her lyrics. The four songs on ‘For The Left Behind’ stem from the early days of their time together - a growing romance, but a feeling of unease throughout - Lewin fears her love and muse might be moving back to Berlin, where he was born, but she can’t be sure. Still, she is bracing herself for being left behind.

buy on iTunes

For The Left Behind

For The Leaving  - Lewin

In love and in music, there’s two sides to everything - so as a counterpart to her first EP ‘For The Left Behind’, Lewin is now releasing ‘For The Leaving’.

Lewin had an album full of goodbye-songs that, for a while, were too painful to release. 
She had recorded them with her love at the time, but as soon as the mixes were done, they broke up. Afterwards, Lewin could hear how she had unknowingly predicted their coming break-up in all her lyrics. Now, she is releasing these vulnerable songs in three steps.

The four songs on ‘For The Left Behind’ stem from the early days of their time together - a growing romance, but a feeling of unease throughout - Lewin feels she will be left behind, and sings to brace herself for when it happens. ‘For The Left Behind’ was released in September 2019.


‘For The Leaving’ the upcoming EP, is the other side of the coin; these four tracks were written slightly later, and signify a shift in perspective. We hear someone contemplating leaving a relationship that feels like its outlived its time, a love that she has ‘made work’ but does not work on its own. Rather than letting things happen, like she did in ‘For The Left Behind’, she seems to embrace a more active perspective, where she will be the one to leave.

In Don’t You Dare we can clearly hear a sense of empowerment and anger that was absent on the earlier EP. “Don’t you dare tell me to smile when you leave me now”: Within a landscape of woozy guitars and open chords, Lewin is exploring the possibility of freedom that a split would offer, and how her love won’t have anything to say about her feelings once the relationship is over. 
The full album will be released in March 2020 and connects both EP’s with five extra tracks.

For The Leaving

JARA - Spare Me The News - Sky Collector EP
All songs written by Jara Holdert, 2013. All Rights Reserved. 
Recorded, arranged and produced by Jara Holdert, Jimmi Hueting and Aaron Ahrends. Mastered by Stefan Thomas, Studio A, Berlin. Artwork by Maartje Slijpen. 
With: Jara Holdert (vocals, guitars, ukelele, synth, viola), Jimmi Hueting (vocals, drums, synths, banjo), Giovanni Bermudez (bass), Aaron Ahrends (casiotone on To Like You)
On Spare Me The News: Christos Yerolatsitis (piano, rhodes), Kasper Moliin (as), Mihaly Baszinka (ts), Sascha van Loenen (tp) Ledion-Leonidas Zhupali (tb).

Spare Me The News

JARA - Sky Collector - Sky Collector EP
All songs written by Jara Holdert, 2013. All Rights Reserved. 
Recorded, arranged and produced by Jara Holdert, Jimmi Hueting and Aaron Ahrends. Mastered by Stefan Thomas, Studio A, Berlin. Artwork by Maartje Slijpen. 
With: Jara Holdert (vocals, guitars, ukelele, synth, viola), Jimmi Hueting (vocals, drums, synths, banjo), Giovanni Bermudez (bass), Aaron Ahrends (casiotone on To Like You)
On Spare Me The News: Christos Yerolatsitis (piano, rhodes), Kasper Moliin (as), Mihaly Baszinka (ts), Sascha van Loenen (tp) Ledion-Leonidas Zhupali (tb).

Buy the EP on iTunes: 
itunes.apple.com/nl/album/sky-col…id765687241?l=en

Buy it!

Sky Collector

JARA - Sky Collector 
All songs written by Jara Holdert, 2013. All Rights Reserved. 
Recorded, arranged and produced by Jara Holdert, Jimmi Hueting and Aaron Ahrends. Mastered by Stefan Thomas, Studio A, Berlin. Artwork by Maartje Slijpen. 
With: Jara Holdert (vocals, guitars, ukelele, synth, viola), Jimmi Hueting (vocals, drums, synths, banjo), Giovanni Bermudez (bass)
Buy the EP on iTunes:
itunes.apple.com/nl/album/sky-col…id765687241?l=en

Buy on iTunes!

Spring Rain

JARA - To Like You - Sky Collector EP
All songs written by Jara Holdert, 2013. All Rights Reserved. 
Recorded, arranged and produced by Jara Holdert, Jimmi Hueting and Aaron Ahrends. Mastered by Stefan Thomas, Studio A, Berlin. Artwork by Maartje Slijpen. 
With: Jara Holdert (vocals, guitars, ukelele, synth, viola), Jimmi Hueting (vocals, drums, synths, banjo), Giovanni Bermudez (bass), Aaron Ahrends (casiotone on To Like You)
On Spare Me The News: Christos Yerolatsitis (piano, rhodes), Kasper Moliin (as), Mihaly Baszinka (ts), Sascha van Loenen (tp) Ledion-Leonidas Zhupali (tb).

Buy the EP on iTunes: 
https://itunes.apple.com/nl/album/sky-collector-ep/id765687241?l=en


To Like You

JARA - Sky Collector 
All songs written by Jara Holdert, 2013. All Rights Reserved. 
Recorded, arranged and produced by Jara Holdert, Jimmi Hueting and Aaron Ahrends. Mastered by Stefan Thomas, Studio A, Berlin. Artwork by Maartje Slijpen. 
With: Jara Holdert (vocals, guitars, ukelele, synth, viola), Jimmi Hueting (vocals, drums, synths, banjo), Giovanni Bermudez (bass), Aaron Ahrends (casiotone on To Like You)
On Spare Me The News: Christos Yerolatsitis (piano, rhodes), Kasper Moliin (as), Mihaly Baszinka (ts), Sascha van Loenen (tp) Ledion-Leonidas Zhupali (tb).

When I Left

Lost Your Number - Lewin      •••    (lyrics below credits)

Music & Lyrics by Lewin: Jara Holdert
Produced by Aaron Ahrends & Jara Holdert
Mixed by Tom Gelissen 
Mastered by Coenraad Dingemans

Acoustic guitar, main vocals, synth in verse: Jara Holdert
Electric guitar: Bas van Holt
Bass: Robin van Baaren
Drums: Milan Pestel
Keys in chorus: Merlijn Nash
Harmonies in Chorus: Bas van Holt, Milan Pestel, Jara Holdert

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LYRICS (single version)

He waits on actors in the backstage
He knows exactly how to mix their drinks
Then melts away in velvet panels
a smiling backdrop for the dressed-up kings

He used to watch their painted faces
He'd buy cheap tickets for the gallery
Oh to be taken other places
Oh to forget whether or not to be

I should have lost your number
You should have missed my call
Sometimes it's better not to love
Than to 've lost it all

My lover's heart was always broken
My lover's mind was struggling through a fog
My lover loved the words unspoken 
between the curtain and the epilogue

The choir sang its heavy warnings
The choir beckoned us to read the signs
Still it surprised us that last morning
We had forgotten all our lines

I should have lost your number
You should have missed my call
Sometimes it's better not to love
Than to 've lost it all

I should have lost your number
You should have missed my call
Sometimes it's better not to love
Than to 've lost it all

Lost Your Number

All music and lyrics by Jara Holdert / Lewin © 2019 All Rights Reserved

No I don’t miss you too much 
I can stay out of touch
till I hear your voice
Through distortion and snow
it is you that I know
Speaking through the noise

Now I can’t hang up no more
you’ll have to cut me off

I know it’s still far away
but a week fills a day 
and a day a year
You’ll be flying full speed
cannot be who I need
when I need you here

My heart sinks when I think of 
what will follow when you follow yours

Yes I know you gotta go you’re in the flow 
the world won’t let you slow down
guess I better raise my head and find me someone else 
won’t be no showdown

I just have to let go
let you go now

You blow kisses up high that I catch from the sky
I’ll cherish each and every one dear
you won’t fade away slow
I’ll be missing you so
when all is said and done dear

now just hold me one last time
as tight as I’ll be ever held tight

In the call the image froze but after all the record shows we tried
forget about another call I can’t fit in your carry-all tonight
forget about another call I can’t fit in your carry-all tonight

I just have to let go
let you go now

Let go of you - let go
Let go of you - let go
My lovely leaves on Monday
His ticket is a one-way

I just have to let go (Let go of you - let go)
let you go now (Let go of you - let go)

Let Go

All music and lyrics by Jara Holdert / Lewin © 2019 All Rights Reserved

INNER POCKET  

Let me climb along your pants
sit inside you coat
in your inner pocket

A collar 'gainst the cold
I'll hide inside the folds
of your inner pocket

And sitting here with me:
your passport and your keys
in your inner pocket
in your inner pocket

The spring is fresh this year
for now I'm staying here
in your inner pocket

My head against you heart
until the summer starts
in your inner pocket

Please let me believe
I'll never have to leave
leave your inner pocket
leave your inner pocket

Remember when our love was young
December when we sang our song
Our hands were cold and winter long
But when the summer comes along
You'll have to take your coat off

As we walk the final mile
I'll hug your heart and smile
in your inner pocket
in your inner pocket

Inner Pocket

All music and lyrics by Jara Holdert / Lewin © 2019 All Rights Reserved

The Giant

Your shoes are made for a superhuman being   
who has such big feet that he cannot walk  
Your mouth is soft and hard with teeth that break  
Your lips keep moving 
but you do not talk  

Your eyes are wide like lakes in Iceland
But the water’s far too hot to touch 
And I only wanted to look for a minute 
By taking that look
I took too much 

Your eyes are wide with tears that freeze in winter
In winter, they say, it’s far too cold to cry 
Well, I see, I’m lucky then you’re still the North Pole
The season’s good 
to pass me by 

Your hair is soft and everyone wants to touch it 
but you keep it hidden underneath your hat
I offered you a hand to ever hold you
But now I know
you can’t be swayed by that

You want to give but when it is expected
there’s nothing you can do but run away 
A fear of all of life that seems to bind you
So where you live  
You cannot stay 

Oh man you’re fun you’re everybody’s party
You’re looking for a thrill that everlasts 
Oh god did I just thrill you for a minute  
Our party’s over  
My thrill has passed  
 
This giant then that walks among the houses 
tramples us and doesn’t even see
but the only thing that’s worse than being trampled    
is still to hope
is still to hope   
is still to hope
you’ll come back to me

The Giant

Leather Jackets - For The Leaving version

When It's Over

Goodbye Lover

You took me to a bar downtown the night that I arrived 
You ordered wine and drank it all 
You talked about your life
You’d had some busy weeks my dear,
but now you were doing pretty well
Oh, I felt the sword just hanging there - was waiting till it fell

Oh I’ll understand when your feeling’s gone
but don’t you dare tell me to smile when you leave me now

We never really fought cause I’d get rather sad instead
You’d turn the story round on me and then you’d make it up in bed
And now you say you trust that I’ll survive this break-up too
Well, you do believe in me my dear
- at least that much is true

Just go, go when your feeling’s gone
But don’t you dare say I’ll survive when you leave me now

Oh wouldn’t it be nice for me? you say -
Won’t it finally be nice for me?
If I’ll let go of the tings I thought - the things I hoped
that one day we would be
Those silly dreams you’d turn around for me
Oh wouldn’t it feel nice 
and free?

You never put up pictures where the both of us were in
You never wondered where I went or asked me where I’d been
And now you think you know what’s good for me
You trust that I’ll be fine
Well I don’t need your pity dear, 
not now, not down the line

Just go, go when your feeling’s gone
But don’t you dare say tell me to smile when you leave me now
Don’t you dare say I’ll survive when you leave me now
Don’t you dare pity me when you leave me now

Wouldn’t it be nice for me? 
Won’t it finally be nice for me?
If I’ll let go of the tings I thought - the things I hoped
that one day we would be
Those silly dreams you’d turn around for me
Oh wouldn’t it feel nice 
and free

Don't You Dare

Sorrow

He took off the little friendship charm
 he took off - he wore it ‘round his arm
for a while 
Now he says the color’s not his style

Sorrow, I’m guessing at your plans 
Sorrow, blow into your hands
before 
you start tearing at and pulling at my heart

You’re making me fall 
You’re making me fall 
You’re making me fall 
You’re making me fall 
When you’re tearing at and pulling at my heart

He packs up the pans that I once bought 
he packs up, the van is in the lot
it takes off
 to the city with the wide and open streets

Sorrow, I’m running off the rails 
Sorrow, cover up your nails before 
you start tearing at and pulling at my heart

You’re making me fall 
You’re making me fall
You’re making me fall 
you’re making me fall 
When you’re tearing at and pulling at my heart

Please don’t be as hard
 as he was soft 
Please don’t be as hard 
as he was soft
 when you’re scratching at 
tearing at
 scraping at 
and clawing at and grabbing at and jerking at 
when you’re tearing at  and pulling at my heart

I still hear him tiptoe up the stairs 
I still feel him brushing back the hair
from my face 
and now he’s gone
my heart is out of place



All music and lyrics by Jara Holdert / Lewin © 2019 All Rights Reserved

Recorded in Studio Helmbreker, Haarlem by Aaron Ahrends

Guitar and vocals; Jara Holdert; Electric Guitar: Bas van Holt; Drums: Milan Pestel; Bass: Robin van Baaren; Organ: Merlijn Nash; Backings by the whole band.

Produced by Aaron Ahrends and Jara Holdert, mixed by Tom Gelissen and mastered by Coenraad Dingemans.

Video edited by Jara Holdert, filmed by Aaron Ahrends and Jara Holdert.

Sorrow

Follow You 

In this modern re-imagining of the greek myth where Orpheus goes to the underworld to find his love Eurydice, Lewin follows her love down into the Hades and hopes he'll follow her back up into the world of the living. But is his love for her as steady as her love for him? 

FOLLOW YOU
 
They took you from my side
just like that, in bed last night 
oh but I will follow you my love
 
Take the subway out of town 
find the place they took you down
oh I will follow you my love
 
You were my room, my bed
now I'm homesick for you lad
oh I will follow you my love
 
I'll bribe the boatsman, dear
pay him from my bag of tears
oh I will follow you my love
 
And I will follow you just like you would follow me
And I will follow you just like you would follow me
And I will follow you just like you would follow me
follow me down there
 
To the shadow king I'll sing
sing until his heart gives in
to let you follow me my love
 
“Oh take him up” he said
“Just swear you won't turn your head
and he will follow you, my love”
 
Our sneakers slip and slide
on our way towards the light
are you still following me my love?
 
Oh will you follow me just like I have followed you?
Oh will you follow me just like I have followed you?
 
Cause I I will follow you just like you would follow me
And I will follow you just like you would follow me
(follow you, follow me, follow you, follow me)
And I will follow you just like you would follow me
Follow me down...

LEWIN

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks