After a decade with “dirty shirt rock n’ roll” band One Way Out, multi-instrumentalist Jake Schaefer has launched a new endeavor with his debut solo single, “Nobody Really Cares”. The trippy garage rock revival track is set to appear on Schaefer’s debut album, A Home in the Clouds, due this spring.
A native guitarist, Schaefer recorded all of the instruments on “Nobody Really Cares” and the rest of A Home in the Clouds. A lightly distorted opening riff builds intensity as the bass and drums roll in like thunder, ultimately exploding into a DayGlo splatter of vintage acid rock meets neo-underground heavy psych. Schaefer wears his influences on his sleeve, with a lyrical structure reminiscent of Cream and the droning instrumental dystopia of Can. The song’s central hook came from an attack of intrusive thoughts on a walk home, with Schaeffer drowning out the unwanted notions by saying “nobody really cares” to the beat of his footsteps. The fully self-composed, played, recorded, and mixed effort leans into the gritty imperfections of a DIY show that could get broken up at any moment.
“Today, you can make anything sound perfect,” Schaefer said. “But a lot of my favorite albums have that raw feel, be it The Slider by T. Rex or an Osees record. They have loose vocal doubles, uneven drum hits, elements that aren’t exactly on the grid. That gives these records a human element, it reminds me that this was created by people, so I tried to go for that sound while recording. This process also kept me from obsessing over every little detail, I had to have a reason to stop and move on to the next part.”
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When the Washington, D.C.-born One Way Out relocated to New York City in 2022, the gears of A Home in the Clouds started turning as Schaefer picked up work with other local pop and rock groups—more often than not on bass and drums. To emulate his solo sound in a live setting—which he did last week at NYC’s Astor Hair for the single release—Schaefer picked up a rotating cast of musicians to form The Realm of Possibility. Check out a live video for “Nobody Really Cares” below, along with the studio version.
Stay tuned to Jake Schaefer’s Instagram for updates on the release of A Home in the Clouds and future singles.
Jake Schaefer — “Nobody Really Cares”
Jake Schaefer & The Realm of Possibility — “Nobody Really Cares” — Vienna, VA — 8/7/24