Today I want to talk about Jason Lenayer Buchanan’s new EP, “Lazarus.” It contains only three tracks, but there is more meaning and feeling in them than in a 17-track album. Until now, Jason’s main instrument had been the guitar. Now the piano has taken its place, and with it, a new space has appeared in his music. The songs have become calmer and deeper, the melodies freer, and the words have been given the chance not to hurry. There is more air, more pauses, more things left unsaid. And, perhaps, more of Buchanan himself.
The three songs sound like a heart-to-heart conversation about something very important: searching, returning to one’s roots, and staying true to oneself. The title track, “Lazarus,” is the sharpest and most impassioned, written as an expression of concern for what is happening around us-for lost bearings and lost sincerity. In “Somewhere in Between,” the tone shifts into a soft, compassionate story about a woman who left for Hollywood in pursuit of a dream and, over the years, realized that true happiness is hidden not in the glare of the spotlights, but in simple roles and the warmth of family.
But “This Old Truck” hits the hardest. The grand themes disappear here, leaving behind a bright memory: his father’s old truck, the smell of gasoline, and memories of the time they spent together. It is an incredibly moving dedication to a love that remains forever, even when the person is no longer there. Memory often works exactly this way: it takes us back to the past through smells, objects, and sounds.
And perhaps that is precisely why “Lazarus” feels like such a warm release to me, despite having been born out of a rather troubled time. Jason Lenayer Buchanan invites us to look at great changes through very human things: family, loss, the road, and returning home. It feels as though the piano changes Buchanan’s very perspective. It allows the song to unfold freely.
That is why “Lazarus” sounds more like the beginning of a new chapter than a standalone EP. A full-length album, “Somewhere in Between,” recorded during the same sessions, will be released in early 2027. For now, there are three songs, several musicians in one room, an old truck, the memory of a father, and Buchanan’s new, more personal voice. Sometimes, to find that voice, all you really need to do is change the instrument.
