Balance and Composure's Jon Simmons talks us through their return to the spotlight on new album ‘With You In Spirit’, out now via Memory Music.
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Jon Simmons never wanted Balance and Composure to split up. He actively protested it and felt the sting long after they had announced their indefinite hiatus in 2019 alongside a set of farewell shows. Not doing what he had done with his best friends for the best part of 12 years made him angry and bitter and lost. Though it’s in absence that the heart truly realises when something is missing, and he always held onto hope that the rest of the band would one day feel that empty space in the same way he did. And the fact that so many people would still let him know what their music meant to them allowed him to keep the fires of faith burning that little bit more.
“It felt like emotional torture when the breakup was fresh. I was mad and bitter, not that the band would know. People thought I had broken it up to start a different project, but that wasn’t the case at all. Yet it was cool to know that people still cared. That’s the theme that I was picking up on whilst feeling bitter. Hearing people wanted more was great. It was difficult because it was all I wanted to do. I just craved an outlet, and this is my biggest outlet. I was always waiting, or hoping, for a text from the other guys saying, ‘Do you want to get together to at least just jam’.”
So, when that text did come in 2022, he was the last to confirm his interest, simply because he was a dead cert no matter what. The chance to jam without any of the previous pressures of tour schedules and label requirements made them realise and remember just how thrilling and cathartic it was when they came together to create. What started as a meet-up here and there turned into the making of a full album, very much thanks to the excitement and involvement of producer and close friend Will Yip. That’s how we end up here with ‘With You In Spirit’, a record that gathers everything that has made Balance and Composure so sensational and spine-tingling over the years and merges them into one utterly brilliant collection of songs. It is as much a celebration of the band as it is a shimmering jewel in their crown, a culmination of 17 years of ebbs, flows and beautiful friendship.
“There was a missing piece in our lives; that’s what we realised,” Jon comments. “The least we needed in life was the ability to create together. So, it feels good to be here and doing this. And we were so used to the pressure of making music, but without that pressure, it was way more freeing for us to take our sweet time. We were grooving in a way that we hadn’t done before. There was no tension; it was all fun.”
To get even deeper into this wonderful period in the band’s story, Rock Sound sat down with Jon and explored every crevice available to uncover what ‘With You In Spirit’ truly means.
THE SOUND
There are few stones that Balance and Composure had left unturned in terms of what was encapsulated within their sound over the years. Sometimes emo, sometimes post-rock, sometimes post-hardcore and sometimes straight-up alt-rock, conjuring a feeling has always been more vital than placing a label on what they were making. So, with the shackles even more off than they had ever been before, it allowed even more time and space to dial into what precisely the band are and what they want to represent.
“It was fun to pick everything that we love about Balance and then expand on that,” Jon smiles. “To pick riffs or parts of songs that sound like old Balance and then try and make them sound different was a fun challenge. If you’re going to come back, you need to sound like your band. You can’t go leftfield right out the gate. We wanted the perfect balance of old and familiar but also with an exploratory vibe as well for where we could go or where we want to be leaning in the future.”
That’s how you end up with the likes of ‘Cross To Bear’, showing off a powerful and patient atmosphere that harks back to 2011’s ‘Separation’. Whilst the throbbing pulses of ‘Ain’t It Sweet’ are reminiscent of the brightness of 2016’s ‘Light We Made’, the spiky ‘Believe The Hype’ carries all of the vibrance and vigour of 2013’s ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’. Though none of these brushstrokes are delivered with the intent of fully treading old ground, as ‘With You In Spirit’ flows in its own way. Like the stillness of dusk with an ever-approaching thunderstorm in the background.
Much of that comes down to the fact that Jon was hyper-focused on every part of his own personal performance, both in writing and recording, to be perfect. There are songs where one verse has produced over 20 variations on a melody, some scrapped altogether to be tracked all over again. It was all or nothing, and that attention to detail can be felt in every velvety second that made the final cut. Such depth wouldn’t have been possible in the past, so why not indulge in the joy of trial and error when you have the chance?
“I was so focused on not making mistakes that I have in the past. In the past, I would be writing lyrics and parts the night before and then going in and practicing them right before recording them. This time, I would listen to the songs, and they would either be complete, or I would erase everything and then start from scratch until I really liked it. It was a case of doing what felt right to me, which was a difficult process. But I never wanted it to sound like I was phoning this in. I wanted to do it properly.”
THE COLLABORATORS
Without Will Yip, this album wouldn’t exist. As blunt as that statement is, it is the stone-cold truth. Only when Will, who produced ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’ and ‘Light We Made’, caught word that the band were secretly writing bits and pieces again he demanded that they make an album which he would release on his own label Memory Music. They had to think about it, but in the hands of someone who they consider to be the sixth member of the band, they knew that if it were to happen, they weren’t going anywhere else. With it being over half a decade since they last worked together, and in that time, Will becoming even more of the go-to man for bands in the scene, the levels they could reach together were more unmatched than ever before.
“Will is amazing at his job,” Jon beams. “He was already amazing, but in the six or seven years that we didn’t see him work, he has improved 100 per cent. He has two assistants at Studio 4 with him now, and we were like, ‘Who are you, hot shot?’ It’s super laid back and just really impressive to see. I’m really proud of him.”
“And with the actual creative process, he was amazing,” he continues. “We had to do random sessions when we could. There were times when we weren’t tracking for a month or two, and we had to squeeze in to record the guitars or a weeknight when one of the guys was free. He always made himself available for us. And when I would come to him after I had tracked a song and say, ‘Listen, we’re scrapping all of that’, I would feel guilty, but he would get it. He would know it was better and worth redoing. He’s our best friend, and we couldn’t imagine working with anyone else at this point.”
THE LYRICS
It’s interesting that the first Balance and Composure record in eight years is based around the concept of absence, simply because that’s what was going through Jon’s head whilst they weren’t active. Though you could place much of the inspiration for that on the hiatus, the reason that ‘With You In Spirit’ treads into the waters that it does is a lot more existential.
“I think a lot of this album, and what I have been feeling within the making of and journey towards it, is about the impression that I leave on people. Whether that be as a human being and friend, a partner, a family member or an artist. That was really heavy on my mind, and it’s something I have really focused on. Just trying to be a better person in all aspects. What I see in these lyrics is me struggling with how I will leave the earth and whether the impression I leave on people is a positive and good one. That also brings up a lot of my flaws, but you have to confront that stuff.”
Opening himself up in such a delicate and raw way was a reminder of why Balance and Composure are so important to him. That sense of a missing piece during the hiatus comes down to not having a space to ask such potent questions about himself. However, doing that also reminds them that there are some aspects of that personal exploration as an artist that he doesn’t particularly cherish. This is spoken about in ‘Sorrow Machine’, a track about people’s expectations and perceptions of you when you write “sad” music. It’s something that many an artist in the alternative sphere will be familiar with, as emotion is always at the forefront of many people’s processes. But in highlighting how difficult it is to feel like you always need some form of trauma inspiring you to keep people’s interest peaked, it opens up an intriguing conversation about what we should expect from the bands that we love.
“Playing the role that people want from you but also knowing that I need this at the same time is a real struggle. This is my life and my calling, but I’m also dealing with being this particular guy sometimes. When I’m writing songs, I feel like I am digging so deep inside of myself, and that’s a struggle. I’m confronting stuff that I don’t really want to discuss, and I have a reputation for making sad songs. Opening yourself up to interpretation and critique of those things is a lot, especially when away from this, I’m a happy person. When I’m writing, the blues just comes out of me.”
THE TITLE AND ARTWORK
‘With You In Spirit’ as a title certainly stems from that overarching sense of wanting to leave a good and lasting impression that Jon was being inspired by through the album’s process. Yet, it’s within the personal obstacles of the last few years that it really stands out as how important it is to be present now before it is too late.
That ideal begins with the lung cancer diagnosis that his mother received a few years back. Despite knowing that he needed to be around for her, Jon shut down from shock, staying in LA rather than journeying back to Pennsylvania. Not knowing how to handle it and letting fear of what could happen take over, he felt like he was letting her down, as well as his sisters, by not being there. Luckily, she is a “badass”, as Jon states, and beat the cancer, but the guilt remained. It’s why now he is making sure to be there for his father, who is currently close to the end of his life after suffering from ACL, a subject he sings about on ‘A Little of Myself’. Despite not having a strong relationship with him, putting aside his grievances and making amends for how he didn’t do it the first time for his mom has allowed him to see what the power of presence can deliver.
“Sometimes all you need to be is there for somebody. You may not have the words, but a lot of the record’s theme is presence and my lack of it. But in realising that presence is the key, that is what has an impact on people. I look back on the times when I wasn’t there, and I get so aggravated. I have been focusing on being more present in everything I do.”
That presence can also be felt within the artwork, the first time the band used a photo rather than a drawing to tie a record together. Taken by Jon during a family reunion at his grandparent’s old farmhouse, it captures the kids of the family playing whilst a storm is fast approaching from the back.
“So, the storm was coming in through the fields and the adults were freaking out and saying that we had to get inside. The kids were so excited, and that was a beautiful thing. So, I snapped a picture really quick. It says a lot and a little at the same time. It means something to me, and it gives a more real sense of things. It’s grounded in the now more than any cover art we have had.”
In allowing ourselves to be in the moment, whether that is standing out in the pouring rain and letting it wash over you or simply sitting with a loved one in total silence, we are leaving our mark in this world in a positive way. To slow down, to remember what’s important to us and to allow ourselves the space to know we are doing what’s right, we gift ourselves solitude in a world that increasingly has a very limited supply.
THE FUTURE
For now, the fact that Balance and Composure are back in his life in this way is more than enough for Jon. Not tied down to anything, free to experiment and tour as they please and knowing that the solace that he built for himself is open whenever he needs it again, these are things that he has been craving these last few years. That could mean that it is a fair few years before we get another album, or it could mean that another is already in the works. But by moving through things piece by piece and taking in the scenery as they go, they have more clarity on who they are than they had in absolute years. “We are just taking this opportunity by opportunity, which we have never done before,” Jon concludes. “But we welcome it, and I think it is the right approach. You don’t want to burn yourself out. I want to keep this fun and a way to connect with other human beings. I want to keep it as pure as possible.”
