jas' 'The Send Off' is a masterclass in talent.
After many years of trial and error, the indie pop prodigy has finally launched his official debut album!
Ever since the age of 12, Filipino-American singer-songwriter and producer jas has dreamed of one day crafting the perfect debut album. Many attempts were made — some more successful than others — but all were ultimately scrapped, however, jas never gave up, as making music is his life, and after nearly a decade of trial and error, his dream finally became reality late last month when he officially released his long-awaited debut album, The Send Off.
Inspired by a rather difficult break-up he went through at the beginning of this year, The Send Off is a masterful showcase of jas’ raw talent as a writer and vocalist; a cohesive blend of dream pop, Americana, and folk rock with additional elements of pop rock, country, and doo-wop; and an introspective exploration of his past traumas that covers themes of heartbreak, internalized homophobia, isolation, addiction, sexual assault, and self-discovery.
According to jas in an interview with Homobyte that I conducted with him earlier in the year, “The Send Off presents the poignant story of an American aviator who crashes into a desolate ghost town where he is confronted by the entirety of his life flashing before his eyes” as well as a “meticulously crafted odyssey [that invites the listener] to experience the emotional and psychological journey of its protagonist”. The protagonist, of course, is a fictionalized version of jas, himself, and the plane crash serves as a metaphor for the self-destruction that is necessary for rebirth.
At just 21 years old, jas has lived 100 different lives — all of which are eulogized across this gorgeous and devastating record — and as the album progresses, he gradually reveals the details of his traumas, providing more and more context for the listener with each track while simultaneously unpacking and ultimately coming to terms with said traumas in order to finally move on from them.
The Send Off opens by addressing the break-up — the catalyst that prompts jas to embark on his journey. The enchanting “The Cochran Files” sets the scene with the moment he fell in love with his former partner, foreshadowing the tragedy of the break-up as presented by the cinematic “Damage Control” — a gutwrenching depiction of heartbreak.
We then take a detour into jas’ mind as he attempts to escape the pain of reality. The breathtaking “Silently, Suddenly” implies that the relationship was tainted by internalized homophobia, dooming it from the start — touching on a serious issue within the gay community; the dreamy “Radio’s Playing Our Favorite Tune” sees jas trying to distract himself from the break-up despite being constantly reminded of his ex everywhere he goes; and the nostalgic “Have You Been Waiting For Me?” is an optimistic, yet delusional, declaration from jas to one day reconcile with his ex that takes me right back to the super fun, upbeat pop rock of the late 2000s, making it a much-needed palette cleanser.
Our break from trauma is short-lived, though, as we plummet right back down to Earth with the dark, unsettling “Failure To Emerge” — a grunge-inspired moment that deals with the cold, bleakness of depression with jas isolating and neglecting himself post-breakup. The track starkly contrasts the joy of its predecessor, reflecting how the healing process is not linear.
This brings us to the center of the record: “The Consequence”, the eye of the storm — a Gospel-like, ethereal number that compares recovering from addiction to leaving an abusive relationship that fades into the hopelessly hopeful “Matador” on which jas expresses his wish to remain amicable with his ex. The Twin Peaks-esque “The Judge” is the answer to the previous track with jas accepting that the relationship is truly over and that he must move on while the folksy “The First of Many One’s Who’ll Come Around” is a humble plea to his ex to hold no ill-will toward one another as they move forward with their lives as individuals.
jas’ journey ultimately comes to a close with the liminal and heavy “Bodie, CA”. This is the culmination of all that has transpired across the album and literally describes the American aviator crashing his plane in the titular ghost town and confronting his past traumas, rising from the ashes like a phoenix as a new, healed person. jas has reinvented himself with each clandestine album project, and this song stands as a testament to that continued reinvention. The version of himself on The Send Off has been destroyed, and a new one has emerged that we will hopefully see more of on his next endeavor — whatever and whenever that may be.
It goes without saying that I am extremely proud of jas for the masterpiece he’s created with The Send Off, but what I’m most proud of is the level of vulnerability that is present on this record, and I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the penultimate track, “You Don’t Have To Talk”. Arguably the most personal song on the album, jas cautiously yet candidly opens up about a sexual assault he experienced when he was quite young and how the event has impacted both himself and the people around him. It’s a heartbreaking lament that I commend him for sharing with us because it has the power to resonate with other people who may have gone through something similar, reminding them that they are not alone.
I’ve had the privilege of listening to some of jas’ past album attempts, and I can say with absolute confidence that The Send Off is his strongest, most accomplished one yet! This is peak jas, especially when it comes to vocals, which can only be described as angelic. The production is polished, the lyrics are stunning, the execution is fantastic, and the fact that the record was entirely self-produced is beyond impressive. This is a truly phenomenal body of work that was well worth the wait and deserves nothing short of a standing ovation, but as incredible as The Send Off is, it’s only the beginning, as jas has been teasing another album that is currently slated for 2025, so dry your tears and fasten your seatbelts because the best is yet to come!
The Send Off is available now across all online and streaming platforms, and if you find yourself fiening for more, there are also two bonus tracks available exclusively on jas’ Bandcamp page — The haunting yet epic “Case Study” and the nautical waltz “Maritime Disaster” — so be sure to support him there as well!