Jordan Lindley on navigating creativity, nostalgia and the journey of music

By Alex Hernández and Mike Lynn

Jordan Lindley, up-and-coming alternative/indie artist, has a musical journey that spans a diverse range of genres, from emo and pop punk to folk and indie rock. His voice, once dominated by energetic yells, has evolved throughout the years to his most recent album, “Maybe It’ll All Work Out Part 1,” released on Nov. 17, 2023.

“I grew up listening to a lot of emo and pop punk. That’s all I used to do – yelling and stuff a lot,” Lindley said.

His later experiences in high school and college introduced him to the world of folky indie rock, including artists like Manchester Orchestra and Joni Mitchell.

The cover art of his latest EP “Maybe It’ll All Work Out Part 1” features an image that looks like it was taken with an older film camera. Lindley expressed a fondness for the film aesthetics of older photos.

“I’ve always had a love for the film look of older, nostalgic-looking photos. Anytime I find something I really love, I like to lean into it,” Lindley said.

He said that he spent more than a year working on the album, and his favorite song from it is “Dust.”

“Those (songs) were written over the course of like a year and a half, maybe two years,” he said.

Weston Clark, freshman computer science major and music director of Mako Radio, listened to Lindley’s music as part of his job. Clark is given music from promotional companies and shares them with Mako Radio DJs.

“Giving these newer artists a spot gives them a chance to be heard more,” Clark said. “I believe doing interviews like this and [adding him to the North American College & Community Radio Charts] gives him the opportunity to be heard and spread around the country as much as he possibly can.”

Lindley is already looking forward to his upcoming projects.

“I’ve got the next single, ‘Ugly,’ coming out in mid-February,” he said. “Beyond that, there will be a couple more singles, and the album will follow at the start of the summer.”

Lindley encouraged aspiring music creators to get their voices out there.

“If you have something to say and you keep saying it, and you don’t stop saying it, the right people will hear it,” Lindley said. “I don’t think that there will ever be an instance of, ‘Oh, this was a mistake.’”

Listeners can hear Lindley’s songs on most mainstream music streaming platforms.

Listen to Alex Hernández, Mako Radio station manager, interview Jordan Lindley.