Asha Jefferies' Chaos Is Cinematic, Beautiful And Going To Completely Break You
With a back catalogue of heartbreakers behind her, Asha Jefferies, has released her most ambitious single to date in Chaos. A slow burning bustle that builds to brilliance; strap in for a big one.
I first encountered Asha Jefferies in the midst of a road trip. I’d just been dumped and had decided to deal with the fact by shaving my head and driving as far north as I could afford. A fiercely unabashed acoustic song from an endearingly honest songwriter I’d never heard of before came on the radio, the protagonist of which told a past lover to kiss their arse repeatedly. It seemed to strike the perfect chord at the perfect time in my life. Like so many songs you hear on the radio though it faded out and I forgot to listen to who had sung it. A few months later the pieces fell into place and I figured out it was the debut of Brisbane singer-songwriter Asha Jefferies.
The song resonated with me, as have all of Asha Jefferies’ songs. Still only 18, Jefferies, is blessed and burdened with an intrinsic hold on the human heart and the interactions of it’s emotions. Be that those of love, friendship, loss or fault. Jefferies' lyrics are succinct, cutting and at their core brilliant.
Latest single Chaos is no outlier to the pattern of beautiful songs that will completely break you that Jefferies has been busy weaving since 2015. Starting stripped bare and raw in it’s expressive nature and finishing cinematic and epic on the back of layered simplicities and intricacies, Chaos, dabbles in an alt-country sound whilst walking a line of indie sensibility. It’s an impressive piece of song construction that sees the song sonically land as a success whilst providing a platform for Jefferies' lyrics to flourish.
Written after a realisation on route to a party, Chaos, is about embracing the people around you for all their good and bad. "Chaos captures everything I felt driving to a party one night last year. I remember watching my friend behind the wheel, realising they were driving me into a lot of chaos and wherever I followed them, that chaos came too." The song explores the faults of various friends from a passive post position. All delivered in Jefferies distinct vocal style that dances between delicate and destructive.
It’s another impressive song from an artist who is fast becoming recognised as one of the country’s best songwriters; despite the fact she’s only just getting started.
