(MPG) Jon Nolan announced his new album Slow Cooker will be released on September 19 via Strolling Bones Records. On the album, the New Hampshire native underscores his relatable storytelling with eloquent folk-inspired songcraft accented by flourishes of country and rock brought to life during cozy and relaxed jam sessions which took place in his hometown of Newmarket. Along with the announcement, Nolan shared the lead single "On My Own."
"An 80's radio-infused meditation on the tension between shielding your heart from the world and the desperate fight to keep your heart open to all the beautiful mess of life," Nolan says of the track. "A story about the deep desire for belonging, warmth and safety in young adulthood, but also a slow realization that sometimes you can only count on yourself."
During the summer of 2022, Nolan, who fronts the alternative country band Say ZuZu, experienced a surge of inspiration so he launched a new music project "just for fun." At first, he holed up in the attic of a friend's barn with collaborators Geoff Taylor [bass] and Rick Habib [drums]. "We were eventually kicked out for being too loud," Nolan laughs. Despite losing their de facto clubhouse, the guys welcomed Zack Tremblay [guitar] into the fold, cementing the lineup for Jon Nolan & Good Co.
By fall, The Stone Church Music Club in Newmarket agreed to allow Jon access to its upstairs living room. On the first Sunday of each month, he would host the Slow Cooker Sessions in this space. Friends would freely come and go, hangout, sit in a circle, and play live. However, these moments simply begged to be recorded. So Jon Nolan & Good Co. cut what would become Slow Cooker over the course of four sessions. Jon and Geoff co-produced the record, completing a handful of overdubs at the former's home studio.
"Slow Cooker is more than just an album," says Jon. "It's evidence of a new season of creative meaning for me. Each song is a story from my life or my imagination that sort of became a series of little fires that the band gathered around one by one to stoke, feed, and tend to. We want people to come join us and warm themselves by these stories-on the record or at our shows."
"Crafting this record was like remembering how to make music again and enjoy it," he notes. "I felt this new sense of freedom. I can just write songs that bring me joy and build them out with my friends. There's nothing like being in a room and creating music that stirs hearts."
That's exactly what these songs do. Take the lead single "On My Own," which originated as a demo on Jon's phone. The track ponders the promise of youth backed by bright slide guitar and a breezy beat. His voice rings out on a chantable chorus tailormade for driving with the windows down, "She said, 'I guess that I'm on my own'."
"When we were playing along to it, it made me feel something," he recalls. "I like when songs give you enough detail to kickstart your imagination, but not so much that there isn't room for you to add in more. To me, it's about being young and having new experiences. Sometimes, those are good. Sometimes, you get your heart hurt. You need to learn to take stock of your strengths and forge forward."
Beyond a storied history with Say ZuZu spanning multiple studio and live albums and countless shows, Jon's own catalog includes two solo albums, namely When The Summers Lasted Long [2006] and Everything Has Changed [2014]. Now, he kicks off another chapter, beginning with Slow Cooker.
Nolan has a few tour dates lined up for the summer and fall including the 2nd Annual Summer Cooker, a mini-festival Nolan started in his hometown to celebrate community.
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