John Craigie & The Bones of J.R. Jones

For over a decade, John Craigie has made music that brings people in, not with spectacle but with sincerity and songs that feel like conversations.

His new album “I Swam Here,” out February 6, 2026 on Zabriskie Point Records, was written and produced by Craigie and recorded between New Orleans and Astoria. Seven tracks were cut at Deslonde St Studios with musicians handpicked by Sam Doores of The Deslondes, including Howe Pearson, Max Bien Khan, Jonny Campos, and a guest appearance from Desiree Cannon. Longtime collaborator Anna Moss appears across much of the record. The remaining tracks were finished at the Rope Room in Astoria, carrying over the same spirit and palette. The cover art, painted by Brittany Schall, nods to the design of mid century samba and jazz records.

“I Swam Here” is a grounded, collaborative step forward, blending New Orleans grit with Pacific Northwest quiet, and showing a songwriter still widening the world of his music.

Jonathon Linaberry looks back on “Radio Waves,” his sixth album as The Bones Of J.R. Jones, but there’s more than just nostalgia at play. Recorded with producer Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Bahamas), the collection is moody and hypnotic, drawing on the sonic landscape of Linaberry’s youth as it reckons with the doubt and uncertainty of adulthood. The arrangements are entrancing, built on the tension between acoustic instruments and retro synthesizers, and Linaberry’s performances are raw and visceral, at times aching in their vulnerability. Put it all together and you’ve got a poignant exploration of memory and longing delivered by a relentless searcher, a revelatory work of personal reflection rooted in the endless beauty, pain, and chaos of growing up.  

Born in central New York, Linaberry got his start playing in punk bands before becoming enamored with the field recordings of Alan Lomax. He launched The Bones of J.R. Jones in 2012 and began releasing a series of albums and EPs that would ead to countless tours across the US and Europe. Along the way, Linaberry would also share bills with the likes of The Wallflowers, G. Love, and The Devil Makes Three, soundtrack an Amazon commercial helmed by Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi.