The March Divide - No Sleep Till Christmas 9 - 03 The Joy Of Christmas Day

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Clark Andrew Libbey & Kristen Rad - Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Someone On My Side

You think we’d know Jared Putnam by now. 

Over the course of three “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter) albums, five “completely clever” (Performer Magazine) EPs, numerous singles, and a batch of cover songs in a mere half-decade, Putnam’s mostly one-man project The March Divide has delivered a seemingly unending stream of songs that have established the San Antonio-based artist as one of the best rock songwriters working today.

Putnam’s upcoming fourth The March Divide album is "Anticipation Pops" (Aug. 24th, Slow Start Records) and is his best work to date, mostly because the ten songs here reveal a greater emotional depth, along with performances, and lyrics, that go beyond anything that Putnam has offered up before. Perhaps his near-manic recording and touring schedule was prologue that has led to the relatable sensitivity that is this album.

“This record feels like a new direction,” Putnam says.

Recording at home on the fly, and skipping his usual demo and pre-production process, has allowed Putnam to maintain a spontaneous feeling that informs these songs, and obviously kept him from overthinking lyrics or anything else that stood in the way of a group of tunes that could be called “raw” if Putnam wasn’t so good at producing himself and if the word “raw” didn’t scream “under produced.”

That is to say: These songs sound great.

Putnam claims that the work on "Anticipation Pops" represent a thematic “consistent inconsistency,” different from his more planned past albums. And while he dials that back when he agrees that the album is cohesive, he’s either being modest, or is far enough outside of his comfort zone now not to notice that "Anticipation Pops" is actually his most thematic record of all.

Writing ten personal songs from a unique perspective, but relatable to everyone, is an artistic goal most songwriters never achieve. True to Putnam’s attitude of throwing caution to the wind with this album, the first single is the record’s aptly titled opening cut, “I Don’t Care,” a two-minute gem that leaves ‘em wanting more.

“I think there’s something really special about a two-minute pop song,” Putnam says. “It’s like a shot of adrenaline. A song like that is a flash – it comes and goes – and is unexpected. ‘I Don’t Care’ really sets the tone. It’s a slow build of liberation and confidence, expressed in just two minutes.”

Doubling down on the attitude of “I Don’t Care,” Putnam affirms once again that he made "Anticipation Pops" by deciding, “this is what I’m doing, take it or leave it.” Apparently he didn’t know that the result would be the work his fans can care for most of all.

"Anticipation Pops", the fourth full-length album by The March Divide is out August 24th, 2018, on the artist’s recently co-founded Slow Start Records label, preceded by the single, “I Don’t Care”.

Anticipation Pops

The March Divide - I Don't Care

You think we’d know Jared Putnam by now.

Over the course of three “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter) albums, five “completely clever” (Performer Magazine) EPs, numerous singles, and a batch of cover songs in a mere half-decade, Putnam’s mostly one-man project The March Divide has delivered a seemingly unending stream of songs that have established the San Antonio-based artist as one of the best rock songwriters working today.

Putnam’s upcoming fourth The March Divide album is "Anticipation Pops" (Aug. 24th, Slow Start Records) and is his best work to date, mostly because the ten songs here reveal a greater emotional depth, along with performances, and lyrics, that go beyond anything that Putnam has offered up before. Perhaps his near-manic recording and touring schedule was prologue that has led to the relatable sensitivity that is this album.

“This record feels like a new direction,” Putnam says.

Recording at home on the fly, and skipping his usual demo and pre-production process, has allowed Putnam to maintain a spontaneous feeling that informs these songs, and obviously kept him from overthinking lyrics or anything else that stood in the way of a group of tunes that could be called “raw” if Putnam wasn’t so good at producing himself and if the word “raw” didn’t scream “under produced.”

That is to say: These songs sound great.

Putnam claims that the work on "Anticipation Pops" represent a thematic “consistent inconsistency,” different from his more planned past albums. And while he dials that back when he agrees that the album is cohesive, he’s either being modest, or is far enough outside of his comfort zone now not to notice that "Anticipation Pops" is actually his most thematic record of all.

Writing ten personal songs from a unique perspective, but relatable to everyone, is an artistic goal most songwriters never achieve. True to Putnam’s attitude of throwing caution to the wind with this album, the first single is the record’s aptly titled opening cut, “I Don’t Care,” a two-minute gem that leaves ‘em wanting more.

“I think there’s something really special about a two-minute pop song,” Putnam says. “It’s like a shot of adrenaline. A song like that is a flash – it comes and goes – and is unexpected. ‘I Don’t Care’ really sets the tone. It’s a slow build of liberation and confidence, expressed in just two minutes.”

Doubling down on the attitude of “I Don’t Care,” Putnam affirms once again that he made "Anticipation Pops" by deciding, “this is what I’m doing, take it or leave it.” Apparently he didn’t know that the result would be the work his fans can care for most of all.

"Anticipation Pops", the fourth full-length album by The March Divide is out August 24th, 2018, on the artist’s recently co-founded Slow Start Records label, preceded by the single, “I Don’t Care”.

The March Divide - Spinning

You think we’d know Jared Putnam by now. 

Over the course of three “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter) albums, five “completely clever” (Performer Magazine) EPs, numerous singles, and a batch of cover songs in a mere half-decade, Putnam’s mostly one-man project The March Divide has delivered a seemingly unending stream of songs that have established the San Antonio-based artist as one of the best rock songwriters working today.

Putnam’s upcoming fourth The March Divide album is "Anticipation Pops" (Aug. 24th, Slow Start Records) and is his best work to date, mostly because the ten songs here reveal a greater emotional depth, along with performances, and lyrics, that go beyond anything that Putnam has offered up before. Perhaps his near-manic recording and touring schedule was prologue that has led to the relatable sensitivity that is this album.

“This record feels like a new direction,” Putnam says.

Recording at home on the fly, and skipping his usual demo and pre-production process, has allowed Putnam to maintain a spontaneous feeling that informs these songs, and obviously kept him from overthinking lyrics or anything else that stood in the way of a group of tunes that could be called “raw” if Putnam wasn’t so good at producing himself and if the word “raw” didn’t scream “under produced.”

That is to say: These songs sound great.

Putnam claims that the work on "Anticipation Pops" represents a thematic “consistent inconsistency,” different from his more planned past albums. And while he dials that back when he agrees that the album is cohesive, he’s either being modest, or is far enough outside of his comfort zone now not to notice that "Anticipation Pops" is actually his most thematic record of all.

Writing ten personal songs from a unique perspective, but relatable to everyone, is an artistic goal most songwriters never achieve. True to Putnam’s attitude of throwing caution to the wind with this album, the first single is the record’s aptly titled opening cut, “I Don’t Care,” a two-minute gem that leaves ‘em wanting more.

“I think there’s something really special about a two-minute pop song,” Putnam says. “It’s like a shot of adrenaline. A song like that is a flash – it comes and goes – and is unexpected. ‘I Don’t Care’ really sets the tone. It’s a slow build of liberation and confidence, expressed in just two minutes.”

Doubling down on the attitude of “I Don’t Care,” Putnam affirms once again that he made "Anticipation Pops" by deciding, “this is what I’m doing, take it or leave it.” Apparently he didn’t know that the result would be the work his fans can care for most of all.

"Anticipation Pops", the fourth full-length album by The March Divide is out August 24th, 2018 on the artist’s recently co-founded Slow Start Records label, preceded by the single, “I Don’t Care”.

The March Divide - Tie One On

Jared Putnam is one of the most prolific songwriters in Texas, and he earns that distinction in his second act.

Having already flirted with the danger of major labels when his young band The Conversation was a national next thing, in the past decade as The March Divide, Putnam has basically done it all on his own, self-releasing a barrage of singles, EPs, and albums at a seemingly non-stop pace during that time.

cinq – his fifth album (Slow Start Records, April 23rd) – was conceived as a full-length, but has mostly been released throughout the pandemic as a series of singles, with the last two arriving surrounding the album’s release date. 

With Putnam’s successful regional touring business at a stand-still, he recorded cinq at home, sending tracks to friends to add bass and drums, and tending to his expanding business managing social media ad campaigns for other artists, a skill he learned while systematically building a fanbase for The March Divide that has sustained him, even during lockdown.

Barely.

“I am very much looking forward to forgetting and moving on from the wrath of what still might end my career,” Putnam says, voicing the frustration of many musicians with vulnerable cottage businesses on the line. “Recording these songs was something I was able to do to get my mind off of all that. What came out is a real hodgepodge of who I am as a writer.”

This “hodgepodge” is a boon for fans of Putnam’s songs that are personal, but always safe-effacing, and with a sly humor underneath their rich production and get-to-the-point style. Think a slightly less angular Spoon with work boots on instead of pointy tips (but not too worn out!)

“I was able to revisit my rock roots in a meaningful way on this record,” Putnam explains, “but still expand and experiment with the acoustic-based pop ideas I’ve been obsessed with the last few years. I even incorporated some of the hokey melodies that have popped into my head lately by finally taking the time to go back and listen to all the ridiculous phone recordings I’ve made of them.”

One of these “hokey” melodies, that a less humble musician might just call “catchy,” became one of cinq’s two yet-to-be-released singles, “The Funk That You’re In,” a number Putnam thought would remain in his phone graveyard.

“That’s usually where my ideas go to die! It’s not that I don’t like them,” he says, “I usually just forget about them, but like everyone else, I had a lot of time to burn last year. Once I picked up my guitar and started messing with the idea, the whole song just kinda fell out of me. The kazoo solo is probably worth mentioning.”

On the other side of the conceptual spectrum from “The Funk That You’re In,” is what will be cinq’s final single and video. “I Believe,” is one of the most personal songs in Putnam’s catalog.

Written in a stream of consciousness style, and backed up by a promise to himself not to change the words, Putnam plans to work in this style more going forward.

“It’s pretty satisfying to just say what you wanna say, without worrying about how cool it sounds,” he confesses.

cinq, the fifth full-length album by The March Divide arrives on April 23rd via Slow Start Records.

Clark Andrew Libbey & Kristen Rad - Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Slow Start Records

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