After the breakout critical success of Mandolin Orange’s Yep Roc debut, This Side of Jordan, you’d expect the relentless onslaught of touring that accompanied it to seep into the writing of the North Carolina duo’s follow-up. You’d expect the sound to reflect long days on the road, long nights onstage, unfamiliar cities, countless miles. You’d expect the classic “road record.” But you’d be wrong. “All of these songs are definitely a product of being on the road,” says multi-instrumentalist/singer Emily Frantz of Mandolin Orange’s gorgeous new album, Such Jubilee, “but they’re not about the road.” “They’re about home,” explains song-writer/multi-instrumentalist/singer Andrew Marlin. “Not because we were missing it, but because when you’re gone so much, you start realizing what you have and what’s waiting for you. You realize there’s this place to come back to at the end of the journey, and that’s where a lot of these songs come from.” Such Jubilee is a record about home, both the place and the idea. Some days it’s a safe, warm, loving refuge from the world outside. Other days it’s cold and empty and too quiet. Either way, it’s always waiting for you at the end of the road.
