Track-by-Track: JB Elwood Apprises His New Album ‘Lost In My Ways’

Some individuals, like JB Elwood, are just made for songwriting. When you find out a little bit about his background and upbringing, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Elwood, whose single “Far Away” we premiered last fall, recently released his new album Lost In My Ways. The nine new tracks come from a very personal place. They take listeners on a trip through his life and the moments that made him who he is. Talk about inspiration; Elwood had a nomadic upbringing as a child. With Appalachian roots, he has lived in many places, with Austin, Texas, now his home. With all of these travels and experiences, he has a lot to draw from when writing songs.

Elwood draws on many themes throughout Lost In My Ways. There are songs of regret, adventure, redemption, sadness, love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. Ultimately, he wanted these songs to be relatable to anyone, no matter where they grew up. The album emphasizes the universal qualities of songwriting, with these stories applicable to anyone’s life and upbringing. Within his songs, he is not afraid to show vulnerability, and it is important for him to underline his love for his family.

Elwood joins us today for a special Track-by-Track rundown of Lost In My Ways. He elaborately explains the background and inspiration behind each song.

1. “Redefined”

“‘Redefined’ is a song about coming of age and discovering who you are. I feel like this was the perfect song to start off this album because this song captures who I am as a person and the types of life experiences that have molded me into who I am today. Your first away-from-home experience can be scary and intimidating. These experiences become your life story because you are introduced to meaningful relationships, working in the real world, responsibilities, adventure, love, sadness, and even the desire for more in life.

“This is actually one of the older songs on this album since I wrote it when I was younger and I was leaving home for the first time. I was one of five people chosen for a prestigious internship to work in Washington D.C. in Congress, or a government agency. This experience of mine holds with it a bunch of lifelong memories that I will always remember. These experiences turned me from being a lost and confused teenager without a direction in life, into the man I am today. I hope this song makes listeners think back on their first away-from-home experience and how that coming-of-age experience has moulded them into the person they are today.”

JB Elwood ‘Lost in My Ways’ album artwork

2. “Far Away”

“‘Far Away’ is my ‘chasing after your dreams.’ This song is dedicated to everyone who has taken a chance in life to chase after what they want in life. This song came so naturally to me when I wrote it. I wrote the first draft of this song in 30 minutes because the melody came so naturally. I always have felt like this song was meant to be written and I am grateful that I have been able to capture a powerful story into a song about a young woman leaving home and everything they have ever known behind in pursuit of their dreams.

“It can be scary to leave the comfort of home and your safety net to chase after your dreams because at first, it usually does not come easily. There will be setbacks, anger, sadness, failure, and uncertainty, but those who continue to push forward in the face of adversity usually find success. So, I hope this song is an anthem for someone and gives them the strength to chase after what they want in life.

“I have been asked before why I wrote this song from a woman’s perspective. Well, my first draft of this song was from my perspective and it just didn’t sound as meaningful. Whenever I changed the perspective of the story, there was so much more emotion packed into the story.”

3. “Begin Again”

“‘Begin Again’ has one of my favourite chorus melodies that I have written because it is catchy and fun to sing along to. It tells the story of someone in their 30s or 40s looking back on life and wondering how their life would be if they did things differently. It is a song about self-reflection and about the decisions we have made growing up. I am personally guilty of being someone who wonders where I would be in life if I did things differently. Sometimes I wonder how things would currently be if I had not been in certain past relationships, if I had taken a different career path, if I traveled more, or if I lived in a different city.

“But every time I look back on my decisions, even the poor decisions that I have made, I know I would not change a thing because I know that my purpose in life is to tell meaningful stories through music and to be a performer. That is the only thing that currently brings me joy in life. I have so many more songs to share with the world, so this is only the beginning.”

4. “Night To Day”

“‘Night To Day’ is my love ballad. This song is about chance encounters and the beauty and overwhelming power of these types of experiences. This song is about one of my fondest memories of a chance encounter that I had. I was wandering the city at night. From the corner of my eye, I saw one of the most beautiful women that I have ever seen. We both made eye contact and the entire world stood still for a second. I had this wave of confidence rush through me and I approached her and introduced myself.

“I still vividly remember and see every single thing about her in my head all these years later. We spent the entire night together until sunrise exploring the city, walking down the empty streets talking about life, driving down the coastline, sneaking on a private beach, laying down in a field looking up at the stars, talking about sad and happy things and about our hopes and dreams, and so much more. If you have ever seen the Richard Linklater movie Before Sunrise, that is very similar to my own experience. I am a lucky person to have had this type of beautiful experience. I hope that everyone gets to experience something similar as well.”

JB Elwood, photo by Cindy Natalia

5. “Lost In My Ways”

“‘Lost In My Ways’ is a song about redemption and second chances. You never truly know what someone is going through in life until you step into their shoes and see things from their perspective. Sometimes people want to change but they do not know how to change because they are at rock bottom and do not know how to get out of it. Self-destructive behaviour can be a result of circumstances in life, and even our government or societal systems and structures making it very difficult for people to get their lives back on the right track.

“The world can be an unforgiving and unrelenting place, but with a sense of community, empathy, and understanding, we can provide the support system that people need to better their lives. That is why I believe in second, even third, or fourth chances. Some people may be lost in their ways, but we should not give up on them because humans inherently have a moral compass, and sometimes empathy and understanding are what it takes to help guide others to a better situation in life. This song is one of my favorite songs that I have written in a long time, so I can’t wait to share this one with you.”

6. “Take Me Back”

“I was inspired to write this song after re-watching my favourite movie Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. ‘Take Me Back’ is a song about the end of a relationship. It is about sitting on the opposite end of a table from your significant other and realizing that the spark is gone. It is a plea to your significant other to go back to when the relationship was fun and exciting. But, it is also a realization that the relationship may be at the end.

“Sometimes life pulls two people apart and there is nothing you can do about it. Sometimes it is just not meant to be. But sometimes, there can still be that little spark that may still be there. So fighting for the relationship can reignite the excitement that this relationship once had. When I wrote this song, I wanted it to build up to a huge final emotional chorus that people will remember. I am extremely happy with how it turned out, so I hope this song resonates with you.”

7. “Deep”

“‘Deep’ is about taking a relationship for granted and realizing this once it is too late. It is a self-reflective song about having priorities wrong and being in a relationship where someone was there for you, but you took it for granted, and it was not reciprocated until it was too late and they have moved on in life. This song is a conversation with that person and telling them that you realize you messed up and you wish that you did things differently. But they have already moved on and you are left in the dust beating yourself up over losing something really good in your life.

“I am guilty of this and I took a really good relationship for granted and did not reciprocate the time, attention, and love that was given to me. I look back on this and regret it. On the other hand, this type of experience makes you grow personally so you don’t make the same mistake again once a good relationship comes back around to you. This is a fun song so I hope that you enjoy it and sing along to the chorus.”

8. “Run Away With Me”

“This song is one of my all-time favourites that I have written. I wanted to pack this song with as much emotion as possible and lead up to a huge emotional rollercoaster in the final chorus. I’m extremely happy with how this song turned out. I am proud of myself for singing with a lot of emotion in this song. ‘Run Away With Me’ is about knowing someone your entire life but not having the courage to tell them how you truly feel about them until it is too late.

“This song is a conversation with that person when you both are older and at different points in life, and you are finally telling them how you have felt about them after all these years. But knowing that you are still happy for them that they have found happiness in life even if it is not with you in their lives anymore.

“Have you ever been childhood friends with someone and you two are such good friends that you went through your entire childhood and teenage years afraid to tell them that you love them more than just a friend? I know that I have had this experience. That is why I wanted to tell this relatable story and write a song about it.”

9. “Something Real”

“‘Something Real’ is a song about being at work at your desk or cubicle, and daydreaming about more in life. This is a song about chasing after fun and excitement in life but how life responsibilities get in the way of that. It is about wanting to fall in love, travel the world, chase after your dreams, and wanting to do something wild and exciting. But societal expectations can sometimes get in the way of people living life to the fullest and chasing after things that they truly want to be doing in life.

“I thought this was the perfect song to end off this album because it sums all the songs up into one final song about coming of age, which is the theme of this album. I also wanted to end the album on a happier and upbeat note. So I hope you enjoy this song and that you can find your happiness in life by chasing after what you want to be doing in this world.”