Recommended tracks: “Limerence,” “Facelift,” “Fly on the Wall”
Artists you might like: blackbear, mgk, Deftones
Jutes (Jordan Lutes) was always the type of artist who, without much recognition, influenced the culture of music. He was an “unseen” power in the background, writing songs for big names like Demi Lovato, Charlotte Sands, lLLENIUM and iann dior while at the same time making a path for himself, specifically with his breakthrough album Sleepyhead, released last December.
Now with Dilworth, we see the artist in full effect and can hear his unique artistry, combining the heaviness and rawness of nu-metal with a moody, cinematic vibe and a hip-hop influenced indie style. Dilworth gives the complete picture of who he is as an artist and is a reminder that the underrated kid from Ottawa, Ontario, might have been the main character all along. Jutes elaborates on the album:
“Dilworth is an album that reflects many different parts of my life, past and present. It’s dark, passionate, devastating, angry, raunchy, and hopeful. Sonically, I wanted it to feel like an extension of my last album, Sleepyhead. There’s evolution too – I’ve grown more comfortable in the world I’m building – but in a way, it’s a second chapter of the same story. I felt it was important to really cement my own sound in the heavier rock space. Drawing from such diverse inspirations has created something unique that truly feels like my own.”
In many ways, Dilworth is the very point that Jutes has been gradually and purposely climbing towards. The Canadian-born singer has spent years in songwriting rooms, lending his pen to other artists, quietly refining his own sound. He is now at a place where the world is actually following him, earning two million monthly listeners on Spotify and one million followers across socials. The somewhat scruffy and emotionally open nature of his earlier releases have evolved into something more powerful, more confident.
What started as eight tracks back in June has officially expanded into a 15-track deluxe, with the newest arrivals “Parasite,” “It Takes Two,” “I Can Fix You,” “Facelift,” “Kill or be Killed,” “Fly on the Wall,” and “Eulogy” rounding out the project.
“Left on Dilworth” gets things started with a brooding alt-metal slow burn that shows just how far Lutes has pushed his sound into darker territory. The song’s opening line, “When the black sheep leaves the nest,” positions Lutes as an outsider who is breaking away from old environments, old relationships, and even old versions of himself before diving into the transformation that comes with choosing evolution over comfort.
The LP shifts into a more provocative corner of his storytelling on “SMUT,” exploring how lust and vulnerability can intertwine in ways that feel both destructive and freeing. “Red Velvet” entices the audience with Ari Abdul‘s seductive vocals, complemented by Jutes’ sultry lyrics and vocal delivery.
Between “Limerence” and “Parasite,” Jutes delves into some of the most emotionally charged corners of the record. He first shows the obsessive, sacrificial side of unrequited love in “Limerence” and then, in “Parasite,” the meltdown of the erotic fixation where the singer cannot distinguish power, pain, and pleasure. In “Limerence,” he offers himself up as a “human sacrifice,” whereas in “Parasite” he gives himself over to a parasitic, masochistic bond that feeds on his vulnerability.
The journey of “Facelift” proves that sometimes a song can miss the mark at first, but eventually, every track finds its time and place to shine. “‘Facelift’ started as a song I wrote for a Fast and Furious movie fight scene, but they ended up passing on it because the scene was set in Rome and they went with an Italian track instead,” he explains. “The song still went hard, so I decided to start performing it live a couple years later—and now, here we are: it’s officially on my album.”
“Fly on the Wall” is spooky, with Jutes’ breathy vocals matching the song’s eerie imagery of watching yourself from the outside: “Do you hope that there’s a god / When you spiral down the drain / To a door you can’t unlock / In a dark familiar place.” On “Eulogy,” the “Sleepyhead” singer fights to find his identity after losing himself to another: “So why do I feel like / I’m dying / I’m dying to be / I’m dying to be what you need / This is the eulogy.”
The LP reaches “The End” with pain you can quite literally feel through Jutes’ voice, exploring the suffocating struggle of being trapped in your own mind and the pressure of trying to save yourself while time slips away: “How’d I quit drinking but I’m blacking out again / The doors are locked / You need a pick / I’ll bolt it shut before I ever let you in / ‘Cause it’s too late / It won’t be long now / Is this the end.”
Dilworth is proof that Jutes is no longer just the secretly brilliant songwriter throwing ideas into the room; he has become the one who designs a clear musical identity.
Keep up with Jutes: Instagram // TikTok // YouTube // X // Spotify
