It's a clear, cold morning in late October of 2017. James Bishop wakes up on a ridgeline overlooking Lassen National Park to find his tent covered in snow and his water filter frozen. That day, after five months, Bishop crossed the halfway mile marker on the Pacific Crest Trail. Bishop was drawn to the PCT by a deconstruction of faith, post-bacc optimism, and the desire to make an album from found sounds he would record on his iPhone while hiking. With just a half liter of water left and 9 miles to the next town, he sat down in the dust and ate a bag of dry instant mashed potatoes. "It tasted fucking terrible" Bishop remembers, "I just sort of sat there laughing to myself and coughing. At that moment I resigned myself that I needed to be done." He hitched into the town of Chester, and pitched his tent in the backyard of a local methodist church. "I asked the pastor if I could stick around and play the organ. He generously agreed considering how I probably smelled at the time. So I sat in the church alone, played for about 6 hours, and that was the last sample I recorded for the album."

Over the next five years, James Bishop shaped these recordings into his striking debut album, BODYBOUND. On BODYBOUND, ice crackles in alpine streams; skies crash with thunder; steps thud, and crickets chirp. There are no studio instruments on the record. Instead, Bishop layers lush, textural instruments created from samples over organic soundscapes. The strings you hear on the album come from the squeaks of metal gates, the synths from wind, waterfalls, and the hum of a beehive.

This unconventional instrumentation presented a significant technical challenge for Bishop. He called the process "both exciting and excruciatingly tedious". He continued, "for every sound on the record that's compelling, I made a hundred sounds that were boring and uninspired. It didn't come easy and I was never certain it would work." These hand-made instruments are well worth the effort; the eclectic sonic palette that BODYBOUND delivers is at once naturalistic and fantastical. Bishop introduces a 100-voice choir in one moment and leans into a grungy synth the next. His ornate and expansive arrangements reflect the oscillating chaos and tranquility of the natural world, while his ardent vocals anchor the album in a restless emotional core. The songs are both triumphant and frustrated– Bishop paints with a broad emotional brush, but repeatedly picks at the wound of what it means to be in a mortal body.

The range of influences you hear on BODYBOUND– from classical to dance music– reflect James Bishop's varied musical background. He was born to a drummer and a classical guitarist in San Diego California. Their mobile home was packed with instruments. Bishop inevitably picked up the guitar at 9 years old. He credits his family for supporting his development as a musician. "As far back as I can remember, everyone on the Filipino side of my family is a musician or an artist," says Bishop. "My great-grandfather had a rondalla [string band] with his brothers in Manila." At 11 years old, he began spending his summers in Los Angeles, shadowing his uncle, producer Dave Darling in the studio. "Getting to interact with artists of all kinds in various studios in LA had a huge impact on me," Bishop shared. He went on to study music composition in college, which he says gave him an access point to apply classical structures to his music. After graduating college, Bishop produced records for artists in the United States and Uganda and worked as a composer for film and art installations.

In 2022, James Bishop signed a production deal with KZZ Music. The multi-media production company would give him a platform to release and promote his music. “I’m thrilled to be working with KZZ,” Bishop said, “I feel so lucky to have a team that backs my vision.”