Today, we are debuting “The Seventeen Downtown” from Bay Area hardcore band Jeromes Dream for Iodine Records’ The Dogs of Hope charity compilation.
Jeromes Dream share a history with bands like Orchid, Saetia, Reversal of Man, and pageninetynine. After existing between 1997 and 2001, then reforming in 2018, they released their third full-length, The Gray In Between, in 2023. The album introduced Sean Leary (Loma Prieta) on guitar and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Quicksand, Joyce Manor).
“‘The Seventeen Downtown’ was one of a handful of extra songs written and recorded during the sessions for The Gray In Between (2023),” the band say about the track. “While we loved the song, we felt it didn’t quite fit with the rest of the record and decided it would be best to release it as a single at a later date. When Casey reached out to ask if we would be interested in contributing a song to support the Randolph Shelter, we loved the idea of helping these amazing dogs and people while helping the song find its way out of the vault. Lyrically, much of The Gray In Between is about isolation, anxiety, and despair. This song sits squarely in that place in its examination of how destructive a breakdown in communication can be. From the simplest interpersonal to the most complex societal relationships, at the end of the day, people just want to be heard. The next time you find yourself not being heard or even not listening to someone who needs to be heard, take a moment to collect yourself and try to allow the other person the grace they need to hear or be heard. Imagine the world we could live in if this happened regularly.”
Photo courtesy of Jeromes Dream
