Armon Jay ‘Everything’s Different, Nothing’s Changed’

Words by Amy Giubilo

Ever wake up one day and want to reinvent yourself? For Armon Jay, a Nashville-based neo-folk singer/songwriter, that time had certainly come. Struggling with his own religious-based ideals, Jay recently left a Christian label to pursue a solo career, and his debut LP Everything’s Different, Nothing’s Changed hasn’t left my side since I was assigned this album review.

Some of us have been there – the questioning, the reasoning, and finding meaning behind religion. In Everything’s Different, Nothing’s Changed, we can see Jay’s progression through these past two years, and his emotions behind them. In his own words, the new album is about “desolation to consolation”.

With the help of a Kickstarter campaign, Jay was able to raise $14,000 to help tell his story, which begins with the opening track, ‘Edge of the Dark’. The tune gives the album a very sincere and genuine start to the journey Jay shares with us, followed by a more upbeat yet truthful track, ‘Flight from Sorrow’.

In ‘To Be Honest’, we learn a little more about Jay’s deepest fears – “To be honest I don’t know if I’ll get there/ But it ain’t the fear of dying that makes me come undone/ It’s the fear of living with the man I might become.” Jay’s authenticity really strikes a chord with listeners here, as we come to realize that this album is more personal than we could have ever imagined.

The title track reflects the trials and tribulations Jay has gone through, with heavy lyrics like “I’ve got a few more vices than good habits/ See I’ve been looking for a quick fix/ Relief from the tension/ But two wrongs don’t make a right way to get it.” This back and forth of uncertainty and this state of purgatory shows his eagerness to overcome his obstacles and fears. “It’s like I’m stuck in between the cure and the disease/ I can’t leave and I can’t stay/ But everything’s different, nothing’s changed.”

All in all, this album finds Armon Jay willing to bare it all and hold nothing back. The authenticity of his words and the rawness of his spirit is nothing short of powerful, especially for a debut album. And while it seems Jay’s biggest fear is failure, we can assure him that with Everything’s Different, Nothing’s Changed, he’s certainly made his mark.