Sometimes our wrong turns make for great music.
On Oct. 23, Jessica Wolowich, ArtSci ’25, released her debut album, Learning How to Drive. Through the album, Wolowich blends thoughtful folk melodies with upbeat indie-rock arrangements for a fascinating auditory experience.
The local artist isn’t new to the scene. She released the album’s first single, Favour, in August, followed by Glass in September.
READ MORE: Queen’s alum and Kingston artist releases new single
After only releasing individual songs, the full album is a new venture for Wolowich. Before recording, she was unsure if it would be an album or a shorter EP.
“As we were working and recording more songs, I kind of had the realization that it needed to be a full album,” Wolowich said in an interview with The Journal.
With titles like “This Time Next Year” and “Learning How to Drive,” the album centres around learning what to let go of and what to hold on to while growing up.
“Learning How to Drive” became the titular song because Wolowich believed it encapsulates that feeling of growth and nostalgia.
“[It] uses that metaphor of learning how to drive, about growing up as a whole and learning how to live and how to be,” Wolowich said. “It kind of has this melancholy and doubt to it, and I think that traces through the album a little bit, as I’m exploring these different feelings.”
Wolowich was inspired by artists like Norah Jones, boygenius, and Big Thief throughout her time as a singer-songwriter. These influences are seen in the acoustic guitar work and soft vocals, particularly in track three, Clues. Unlike the other songs, where all the individual pieces were recorded separately, Wolowich’s vocals and guitar were recorded together.
“Clues was the first song I wrote for this album, and it’s very short,” Wolowich said. “We recorded it live off the floor […] with me playing guitar and singing and everything was kind of played all at once.”
Although she nailed Clues on the first take, Undone took the longest to record as it contains full band instrumentation. Further, the lyrics had changed over time, before the song had been considered for the album.
“I played as an artist around Kingston for years, and the version on the album has changed quite a bit from how I originally played it,” Wolowich told the Journal.
“I have a lot of love for the Kingston community. […] To anyone that’s ever dropped a $5 bill in the tip jar at a bar show, I hope they know that it definitely made an impact and allowed me to get to this point,” she said.
Those performances helped Wolowich learn about herself as a songwriter, as she was able to see what resonated with audience members in her songs. Her performances at Musiikki Café & Whiskey Bar helped influence the songs she put on the album.
Through Learning How to Drive, she learned to have more faith in her own music.
“I’d only done singles before, and it took a while to have the faith of being able to do this bigger project,” Wolowich said. “I found the confidence in doing it as I was doing it.”
After the release on Oct. 23, Wolowich will be taking a break from songwriting and letting herself sit with her first body of music.
To celebrate the release, there will be many live performances, including an upcoming album release show at the Broom Factory on Nov. 5, with a female lead lineup.
Tags
Album review, indie music, Jessica Wolowich, Kingston Music
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