Willow Avalon
Jack Van Cleaf was still an independent artist when “Rattlesnake” became a viral hit in 2023, earning praise from songwriters like Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan. For Jack, it felt like a pivotal moment in a career that had been building since his teenage years.
“This album is all about the vertigo of growing up,” says Jack, who makes his Dualtone Records debut with the sophomore release JVC. “It’s about re-defining and re-understanding yourself” he says, speaking with the same heart-on-sleeve honesty that informs his writing. Once known for his confessional and cathartic folk songs, Jack digs deeper with JVC, blurring the dividing lines between acoustic Americana and electrified indie music. The result is an expansive sound that resists categorization: sparse one minute and grungy the next, dreamt up by an artist who’s never been afraid to write songs that shine a light on his own challenges.
JVC was recorded with his friends and musicians Alberto Sewald, Austin Burns, Ethan Fortenberry, Hunt Pennington, Adam Carpenter, Nathan Cimino, and Aaron Krak. Jack recorded his songs in a series of live takes, showcasing the artistry he’d developed as a road warrior opening for headliners like Noah Kahan, Shakey Graves & Madi Diaz. Fellow artists like Grumpy, Charli Adams, and Annika Bennett added vocal harmonies to the songs, and Jack recorded two duets, as well - “Teenage Vampire” with Gatlin and a re-imagined version of “Rattlesnake” with Zach Bryan.