New York, NY (Top40 Charts) JayWood - the moniker of Winnipeg musician & songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith - unveils his new single, "God Is A Reptile," out today via Captured Tracks. "God Is A Reptile" marks Haywood-Smith's first release since last year's much-adored Some Days EP, a polished reworking of his 2015 EP of the same name highlighting Haywood-Smith's soulful voice and dynamic production style. On "God Is A Reptile," Haywood-Smith begins with "I'm tired of living in my skin // I feel like a washed up has-been," contrasting the tongue-in-cheek confidence of the track's instrumental to explore insecurity.
Of the track, Haywood-Smith explains, "'God Is A Reptile' feels like the angstiest part of myself. I wrote it at a time where I was experiencing a lot of anger all at once and I really just wanted to focus it into something healthy."
In the accompanying video directed by Eric Peterson, Haywood-Smith traverses tropical woods and vast deserts before exploding into an SFX-doused trip, complete with saxophone-playing lizards.
Haywood-Smith was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, spending most of his life in the city of Winnipeg. Since 2015, JayWood has captured the young writer's journey of self-discovery and heartache through unique songwriting and an ever-evolving sound. Haywood-Smith taught himself how to write and record during the primitive days of the project, but has developed through challenging himself to never fear change. Despite the culturally homogenous nature of his hometown, Haywood-Smith takes inspiration from a wide range of
Black performers and artists working in all genres and eras. Visionary artists like
Kendrick Lamar inspire Haywood-Smith's approach to storytelling.
This week, Haywood-Smith will begin his North American tour, starting with a series of SXSW performances before joining
Molly Burch for a string of west coast dates. A full list of tour dates is below.
JayWood Tour Dates:
Sat. March 12 - Salado, TX @ Barrow Brewing Company
Tue. March 15 - Austin, TX @ Swan Dive (SXSW)
Fri. March 18 - Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlies (SXSW)
Fri. March 18 - Austin, TX @ Valhalla
Wed. March 23 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Festival
Fri. March 25 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole *
Sat. March 26 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar *
Sun. March 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *
Mon. March 28 -
Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Tue. March 29 - San Francisco, CA @ August Hall *
Thu. March 31 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge *
Sat. Apr. 2 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre *
Mon. Apr. 4 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux *
Tue. Apr. 5 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell *
Thu. Apr. 7 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Thu. May 5 - Wrexham, UK @ Penny
Black Room (FOCUS Wales)
Fri. May 6 - Wrexham, UK @ Ty Pawb (FOCUS Wales)
Sat. May 7 - London, UK @ The Fox Inn
Sat. May 14 - Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store (TGE)
* w/
Molly Burch.
