Juste Une Trace is proud to present the new album from Jay and The Cooks, SUCH A NICE PLACE. A raw, spontaneous, and deeply human record where rock music serves as a mirror to our modern urban legends.
After more than forty years living in France, American-born Jay Ryan has lost none of his New York flair for sniffing out stories with an edge. For this new album, the leader of Jay and The Cooks leaves the beaten path to explore what he calls “urban legends”: fragments of life, news items, and social observations that he transforms into electric anthems.
An “Unapologetic Old-School” Sound
Recorded with the urgency and truth of the moment, SUCH A NICE PLACE claims an unvarnished sonic aesthetic. It channels the raw energy of the 1970s CBGB scene, where the brilliance of Chuck Berry flirts with the gravelly poetry of Tom Waits. This is “uninhibited” rock, driven by a relentless rhythm section and guitars that bite exactly where they should. Analog tracking (on tape) and mixing were handled by the brilliant Arnaud Bascuñana.
Bittersweet Chronicles
From the biting irony of “Digital Dude” (a portrait of today’s youth lost behind their screens) to the touching confession of “Mom liked Bad Boys,” Jay Ryan delivers his most personal work to date. The album revisits his lifelong obsessions: hunger (the high-energy “I’m Hungry,” a new version of a 2015 cult track), travels born from broken hearts (“I Was in Love”), and the absurdity of our new digital cults.
The Art of Cooking Rock
For Jay, music is shared like a good meal: with generosity and no fuss. Surrounded by his faithful “Cooks,” he delivers with SUCH A NICE PLACE an album that doesn’t seek to please algorithms, but to speak to the gut. It’s swampy blues, straight-ahead punk, and alternative country—all served with the signature coolness and dose of humor that define Jay and The Cooks.
Discover “SUCH A NICE PLACE,” available now on Juste Une Trace.
