Jack Van Cleaf released his promising sophomore album “JVC” on May 9, with the deluxe version coming four months later on Sept. 5. The original release features 16 songs, with the deluxe version adding a bonus track and four alternate versions of songs from the album.
“JVC” stays true to Van Cleaf’s traditional singer-songwriter genre while incorporating elements of folk, country, and rock throughout. The young Nashville-based artist writes about topics ranging from love, loneliness, climate change, and the feeling of instability, to — most prevalently — growing up.
While Van Cleaf remains a hidden gem in the music industry; his lyricism, cross-genre proficiency, and big-name features all indicate his ability to rise to fame. Van Cleaf has about 471,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, while Noah Kahan — an artist with a similar sound and genre — has close to 25 million. Although the disparity is large, Van Cleaf has gained significant popularity from his recent release with seasoned country star Zach Bryan.
Bryan was featured on a new version of the song “Rattlesnake” that had been previously released (without a feature) on Van Cleaf’s first album, “Fruit from the Trees.” Bryan’s vocals and input add a new level of liveliness to the already amazing track. The lyrics tell a story of self-destruction with poignant lines like “Love is like a rattlesnake / Before it bites it tries to warn you.” Each verse and chorus layer new instruments to give the effect of the song building on itself. A horn section carries the melody throughout as both artists contribute incredible vocals up to the very end as the song closes with an emotional postlude.
The song has almost 21 million streams on Spotify and quickly became Van Cleaf’s most streamed song. In a similar instance, lesser-known country singer Gabriella Rose was featured on Bryan’s newer single “Madeline.” The song also became Rose’s most streamed song, with 18 times as many streams as she has monthly listeners. In any event, it is evident that collaborating with such a revered artist is an effective way to boost popularity and bring your music into the public spotlight.
Though his collaborations may give him a boost, Van Cleaf has all the talents on his own to become extremely successful. In this new album his lyricism is showcased in songs like “Hikikomori,” “Remember Katrina?” and “Couch Potato.” These songs all focus on the deeply personal terrors of growing up, coping, and finding yourself.
“Hikikomori” talks about social isolation and the guilt that comes with it. Using the Japanese psychology term to describe himself, Van Cleaf references the phenomena where (typically young) people completely isolate themselves in their homes for months or years at a time.
Van Cleaf’s use of the term Hikikomori demonstrates his ability to develop as a renowned lyricist and gain traction in popular music. Taylor Swift (whose lyrics are poetic enough people play the game of “Taylor Swift or Shakespeare”) sings of the Trojan princess cursed to never find love in her song “Cassandra,” parallels “Romeo and Juliet” in her classic song “Love Story,” and makes one line references to myths, literature, and her own works in countless other tracks, similar to Van Cleaf.
Van Cleaf’s allusions continue in “Remember Katrina?” where he references tragic real-world events to emphasize the differences in being a kid and being an adult. He begins the song with “Remember Katrina? / Not that we were there […] / Remember being so scared?” The chorus lyrics portray the expectation that you’re not scared anymore when you grow up, even though the events are just as bad. Van Cleaf sings, “Now you’re a big girl, And you’re not scared of the big world…Or an airborne hostage crisis, Or an ocean that’s rising.”
The brilliant lyricism found in “Couch Potato” is my favorite on the album. The song is a peek into the mind of a person caught in a deep loop of escapism. For the majority of the track, the lyrics are judgmental and the vocal tone portrays hatred for the lack of action the person is taking. However, at the end, the tone switches to be more appeasing and tells the person what they want to hear. The validation juxtaposes the criticism from the rest of the song and eloquently creates a positive lift to round out the end of the album.
The duality of “JVC” is showcased in side-by-side tracks “Go Home, Danny” and “Shouldn’t Have Gone to L.A.,” as well as “Thinkin’ About It” and “Green.” “Shouldn’t Have Gone to L.A.” and “Thinkin’ About It” are both slower and heavier songs with the former focusing on regrets and the latter alluding to the topic of suicide. “Shouldn’t Have Gone” features low, Johnny Cash-esque vocals and mournful guitar that demonstrates Van Cleaf’s proficiency at the folksy cowboy-country sound.
In stark contrast, songs like “Go Home, Danny” and “Green” are far more upbeat and exhibit rock influences. Though “Go Home, Danny” is still about trying to help a struggling friend, both songs show how Van Cleaf’s lyricism and vocals can span multiple genres and paces.
“Green” personifies the color in a myriad of ways — though always inevitable — and the color acts as a symbol for climate change. The drums drive the song as the lively melody crosses into a more rock-like genre.
Regardless of your preferred sound, “JVC” is living proof that Van Cleaf has a successful career ahead of him. The album showcases Van Cleaf’s expansion into more genres as compared to his debut album and his growth as a lyricist.
As he rides the wave of an expansion in modern country and folk interest alongside Zach Bryan and others, I have no doubt that Jack Van Cleaf will continue to produce high-quality music.
