New album from Jam On Raw Dough

Coming out of Melbourne’s independent music scene, Jam On Raw Dough has grown into something that feels like an ongoing release of emotion. Based in a spirit of letting go, their sound draws naturally from a wide array of influences, from Original Pilipino Music to Brazilian samba and bossa nova, alongside jazz and rock, without ever feeling tethered down to any one direction. At the centre of it all is songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Javier, whose creative process begins in fragments.

Lyrics and melodies are developed separately, sometimes sitting apart for months or even years before finally aligning. Notebook pages filled with thoughts and emotions eventually meet a growing archive of chord progressions and riffs stored away on a phone, waiting for the right moment to connect and when they do, the structure of a song emerges, but even then, nothing is fixed. Recording becomes another stage of discovery, with production shaped by experimentation and whatever sounds are resonating in the moment.

That openness defines Jam On Raw Dough’s latest release titled Breathe, a record that marks a shift in tone as much as sound. Following two albums created in the isolation of lockdown, this new body of work leans into understanding and forward motion and where earlier material carried the context of solitude, Breathe feels like stepping out into something lighter, without ignoring the experiences that came before it.

The album plays out as a series of snapshots, each track capturing a different emotional state; there are moments of anxiety and grief, but also escapism, comfort and a subtle sense of defiance. Opened with the breezy strums of guitar and tender vocal delivery on “Holiday,” he captures a sense of spontaneous escape, written during a family trip and centred on the feeling of pausing everyday life, even if only briefly.

Title track “Breathe” follows as a contemplation of dealing with anxiety, wrapped up in a buoyant jam of bouncy drums, airy guitar backing and alluring vocal leads spinning playful melodic leads throughout. One of the defining moments comes with “Blue Balloon,” inspired by a photograph of Jordan’s son during a trip to Fiji. The track looks at childhood through a wider lens, considering both its openness and the boundaries that can shape it. Referencing the Filipino street game patintero, it draws a line between play and limitation, exploring how those early experiences can carry into later life.

Family threads continue through “Too Fast,” a song written as a reflection on watching a child grow up, distilling the tension between wanting time to slow down and knowing it won’t. “Simple” offers a different perspective, focusing on the ease that can come with the right relationship, where complexity falls away and connection becomes straightforward.

There are heavier moments too, such as “Prodigal Dad” which confronts absence and missed milestones, sitting with the weight of those experiences while leaving space for the possibility of forgiveness. In contrast, “Silence in the Air” holds onto something heavier, allowing space for stillness and reflection and that balance between light and shadow runs throughout the record, giving it a sense of emotional range that feels truly relatable.

“My World” thematically tackles undiagnosed autism and the strain of being misunderstood, handled with a sense of care and awareness that keeps it grounded, captured in a moving arrangement of jangly guitar notes, mellow percussion and moving vocal performance. Closing track “In 5 Weeks” brings things back to uncertainty, beginning as an inside joke during rehearsal before developing into a reflection on new relationships and the way time shapes understanding.

Listen to Breathe below