JEFF PRZECH – HELENA – EP REVIEW & INTERVIEW

Jeff Przech is a Ct. singer/songwriter whom AMP has been following for awhile. Based out of Unionville, Przech‘s music is hard to pigeon hole. He falls in the Americana/alt country vein but his songs travel beyond any true label. He released his first album entitled Sounds Like Fresh in 2015. His second full length, Jeff Przech & the Outfit dropped in 2018. It contained the amazing single, “Maribelle” which placed him in the national spotlight. The track was featured in a segment of the ABC drama, Big Sky.

Przech just let go a new EP. Helena: The Country Sounds delivers four countrified tunes that showcases Przech‘s strong songwriting and vocals. The songs are heartfelt and truly bear an immersive listening experience. He uses each track to emblazon his intimate lyrics and infectious voice. The first song out is “Helena”. It’s totally steeped in emotional depth. You can feel Przech‘s impassioned inflections throughout. His guitars ring with an emotive texture. Zoe Coz’s backing vocals add a captivating accent.

“Anywhere But Here” follows and once again Przech delivers another stirring composition. His guitar twang offers a myriad of lush timbres. “Anywhere But Here” dispenses a yearning for the open road and lazy days. “Someday” pops with a elevated cadence. The harmonies are impressive. In addition, it surrenders a sublime arrangement. The final song is “Clinchfield Rail ’23”. Przech‘s vocals are full of melodic edginess. Also, the track offers a remarkable richness and an exalted fabric. Helena: The Country Sounds is by far Przech‘s finest work to date. But knowing Przech, the next release with do a complete 180%. He’s that versatile and talented.

Przech sat down with AMP to give our readers a little insight into Helena: The Country Sounds.

AMP: As a singer/songwriter you always had alt country side. The new EP definitely takes a strong country turn. What was the impetus for the new direction?

PRZECH: With every recording project I’ve ever done, I’ve always just chased the sounds I hear in my head. This was no different. The way I heard the songs in my head is the way I tried to record them as far as instrumentation, feel, and overall vibe. For the most part, I think I succeeded. Thinking about most great songwriters, which is what I aspire to be, they write about what they know and feel. I grew up in Hartford so I certainly don’t claim to be “country” but I know that music and feel a connection to it. I love the classic country music from the mid-70s and appreciate the modern artists who try to capture that vibe in their music.

AMP: When writing the new songs, was there a different mindset than your usual creative process?

PRZECH: To be completely honest, I don’t really have a specific process per se. I write when I feel compelled to and I feel like I have something to say. For a few years after I released the Outfit record, I didn’t feel like I had anything of substance to say. I’m very happy that has changed and the compulsion to create has hit me again. Each of these songs is quite different as far as the creative process is concerned.

“Helena” is basically a metaphor. It could be talking about a place, it could be talking about a person, it could be both. For me when I sing it, it’s more about a place now because I’ve been to and toured in Montana and I love it. Can’t wait to go back. Other people might experience the song as being about the comfort of a woman and there’s nothing wrong with that either (haha). On the other hand, “Someday” is completely fictional and about a character I imagined. I actually got the idea for that song while I was mowing my lawn. I was pushing the mower with one hand and shouting lyrics into my phone with the other. Didn’t want to lose the idea!

AMP: What would you like your fans to take away from Helena: The Country Sounds?

PRZECH: I don’t have one set thing in mind I want people to take from “Helena” or any of my music. I just want them to enjoy it, make it worth their time, and make it something they want to keep coming back to. If a listener takes anything positive from the songs, I’ve done my job.

AMP: What’s next for Jeff Przech?

PRZECH: That’s a tough question because I always have about a dozen things in my head I want to do and I want to do them all at once. I’ve realized that I can’t do that and will drive myself batshit crazy if I try, so I need to prioritize. I do have a bunch of songs in various stages of completion right now so I think the next step needs to be finishing all of those (one at a time) and figuring out how I want them to sound on record. I hope to have a new record done by the summer. It’s going to be very minimalist in terms of sound and instrumentation. Intimate might be a good word for it. I can hear it, I just have to make it.

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