The House You Made was released last week via Common Ground Records. The emotional EP by Ohio’s Overgrow features old songs that have been re-worked and new tracks that signify this new stage of the project. The name Overgrow actually belongs to one person, Jake Ciccotelli. “The name Overgrow comes from a really old song that I wrote about things that I had gone through when I was a teenager. I really liked the idea of life reclaiming what belonged to it, and since this project has always been my main coping mechanism, I thought it was fitting. And I honestly just liked the way it sounded.” He has been using the project as a “sounding board”. Ciccotelli describes it as being able to talk about the things he has trouble expressing. While creating an outlet for himself, Overgrow is also helping his fans feel understand through his powerful lyricism and emo influenced sound.
With the backing of a label, Jake was able to give the EP the push it deserves. Originally it had been self-released. “Common Ground has been super helpful and encouraging. I’m really excited to see where this project gets the chance to go, and I have full faith in this team.” Re-working the record included two old songs Ease and At Least I’ll Try. Jake describes the writing process as “interesting”. He goes on to say, “The rest of the record was written over the course of about three weeks. My friend Will Carlson and I recorded the EP in seven days, and we sent it out to Gary Cioni at the Barbershop for mixing and mastering. Even though a couple of the songs are really old, the EP as a whole came together extremely quickly.”
Despite coming together very quickly the EP doesn’t come up short on the emotion or meaning behind the songs. Jake’s favorite song on the record 51 bears particularly special meaning as it relates to the passing of his father. Through these songs he hopes for his listeners to find a sense of comfort. “I hope people are able to find comfort in this record if they relate to it. If these songs aren’t personally relatable to someone, I just hope they like the music! However someone enjoys this record is totally fine by me.”
I’ve been feeling a kind of empty that stays – just as vacant as the house that you made
You’ll have a chance to hear these songs live if you live in the Northeast. Overgrow will be heading on tour with Ottawa band, Castlefield, this December. You can view the full list of dates below. As for the Overgrow live set, it’s going to be a solid combination of new and old as he works on the next stage of his musical journey. ”
Impressions Magazine 