Following the recent singles contemplative ‘Goodbye Ah’ and meditative ‘Somewhere Else Than Here’, Berlin-based Finnish artist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Jonsjooel shares his new EP, Voices Of A First Day. Over the course of four singles that blends folk, jazz, and electronica to create an expansive and experimental tapestry that transcends the physical realm and explores our spiritual connection with the natural world. This EP is also a homage to nature that was inspired by Robert Lawlor’s similarly titled book, Voices of the First Day. The book explores how Australia’s aboriginal population have lived in harmony with the earth for thousands of years and how their knowledge can be a guide to our own world view.

“Voices of a First Day EP started out as a spinoff or B-sides of my future album but have found a special meaning as an independent whole. It is a homage to the book Voices Of The First Day by Robert Lawlor which has inspired me hugely both in life and music. The music on this EP depicts my ideas and feelings of the world which our eyes cannot reach,” Jonsjoeel shares.

The EP also Jonsjooel’s debut solo album, Lullabies for Younger Self, which was released in October 2023. That deeply personal and reflective record sought to provide comfort and support for listeners, in very much the same way that this new EP does. The album was inspired by Jonsjooel's late grandmother, who was a source of constant love and support throughout his life. Listeners joining Jonsjooel in 2024, will notice familiar themes of self-care, forgiveness, and compassion, urging listeners to be kinder to themselves and those around them.

Many of those themes converge in the EP’s focus track ‘So Many Ways’, a deeply resonant song that walks the fine line between restraint and collapse. Those heavy notes apply pressure to this track, which threatens to break under the weight of the cinematic tension which Jonsjooel has created. His voice is a meandering narrator that reflects on time, consequences and missed opportunities.

Jonsjooel provides more context to his vision for the focus track: “So Many Ways feels very divided both through the tuning and the lyrics. I like the idea of playing with the tuning and being on the edge of a total collapse. Other than that I would like the listener to find their own meaning for the song.”

Utilising his background as a jazz musician, Jonsjooel wrote, recorded, and produced the entire EP himself, with mixing by Totte Rautiainen and mastering by Milan Adamik at Masterworks. The EP features five tracks, each representing a unique reflection of Jonsjooel’s experiences and worldview.

Voices Of A First Day EP track-list:

1. Goodbye Ah
2. Somewhere Else Than Here
3. Voices Of A First Day
4. So Many Ways
5. Voices

Following a recent performance on Radio Eins, Jonsjooel will embark on a November tour in Finland and Estonia with Estonian composer Erki Pärnoja.

‘So Many Ways’ will also be featured in the upcoming environmental documentary, Echoes of the Rainforest, directed by Dael Sassoon and funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (EU).