The Fool

Young Jesus is an ever-evolving, experimental-leaning project helmed by John Rossiter. Formed in the late 2010s in Chicago, Young Jesus began life as a relatively straightforward emo band. Early recordings garnered comparisons to groups like the Hold Steady, but by the time of 2017’s S/T, their sound had evolved into something much more improvised and experimental. This was still true by the arrival of the project's sixth album, 2022's Shepherd Head, a stripped-back outing recorded mostly by Rossiter. After briefly giving up music, he reignited Young Jesus with the much more collaborative and reflective The Fool in 2024.

Rossiter formed the band while still in high school and living in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Young Jesus released the Maybe Baby EP in 2011, and their debut full-length, Home, appeared a year later. The following year, Rossiter moved to L.A. In 2015, they put out their sophomore record, Grow/Decompose, which built on but also stayed true to their emo roots. Following its recording and release, Shawn Nystrand, Garrison Benson, Peter Martin, and Cody Kellogg left the band. They were replaced by bassist Marcel Borbon, drummer Kern Haug, and keyboardist Eric Shevrin, signaling a shift in direction on 2017's S/T, which featured lengthy tracks, an improvisational approach, and jazz influences.

That year, Saddle Creek representatives witnessed one of Young Jesus' live shows and offered them a deal on the spot; the label later reissued S/T on vinyl. In 2018, the band produced its debut release for label; The Whole Thing Is Just There was written and recorded over a three-month period and built on the improvised feel of their previous album, with the closing track clocking in at over 20 minutes. 2020's Welcome to Conceptual Beach was a group effort named for Rossiter's place of mental refuge. Recorded mostly solo by Rossiter, the intimate Shepherd Head followed on Saddle Creek in September 2022 and included a pair of duets with Tomberlin.

Left feeling tired, disconnected, and a bit disenchanted with music after recording Shepherd Head, Rossiter left music behind to study permaculture with an eye toward working on gardens and landscapes. A letter from Shahzad Ismaily looking to get in touch about one of Rossiter's musical and spiritual idols, drummer Milford Graves, changed his course. Despite Ismaily being based in New York and Rossiter in L.A., a series of meetups involving both outdoor projects and music improvisation eventually led to the creation of new, reflective songs about things like grief, love, and redemption. The resulting album, The Fool, was recorded in Brooklyn at Ismaily's Figure 8 Studios with a team of engineer/producers that also included Phil Weinrobe (Tomberlin, Adrianne Lenker) and Alex Lappin, and with Aaron Roche (Beth Orton, Flock of Dimes), Cameron Wisch (Ra Ra Riot, Cende), and Alex Babbitt among its dozen or so guests. The Fool appeared on Saddle Creek in May of 2024. ~ Bekki Bemrose & Marcy Donelson