Album Review: ‘I store my fear and my pain in the nape of my neck’ by Jann

The album opens with its shortest, more introductory track ‘Floating’. At only one and a half minute, it mostly sets the tone for this album while at the same time immediately impressing the listeners with the high-pitched vocals Rozmanowski is known for. The track features only the piano in the background with Rozmanowski harmonising throughout. It sounds almost like the listener is in a church where the singer is speaking his sermon. This is not a coincidence, as Rozmanowski has stated on social media that this track was inspired by the music he heard as a kid going to church and singing in a choir. Lyrically, the song is also immensely interesting. Rozmanowski states how he is floating “in a shell made out of throwaways of people’s expectations” and is “ready to risk falling to [his] death.” It sounds like some of the pressure has gotten to him and he feels the need to flee “out into space,” even though it might be a risk.

After ‘Floating’ fades out, a fast-paced piano-like synth opens the second song ‘Nostalgia’. Those first thirty seconds may well have been the soundtrack to a retro game or tv series. In the first verse, Rozmanowski takes the listener back to childhood, singing about how the kids in this story were talking about things too grown-up for them. Things that a child should not have been dealing with. Halfway through this verse, the drums kick in to add an extra dynamic and feeling of anxiety. In the chorus, Rozmanowski states that things could have been worse, as “somewhere in America someone shot their kids.” The child should just be grateful that at least it did not happen to them. In the chorus, Rozmanowski also makes multiple nods to God and religion, stating that the child should thank God for keeping them safe. This is an interesting continuation from the church-like hymn ‘Floating’ was and seems to be one of the overarching themes on this album. After the first chorus, the track makes room for an instrumental break before diving into the second verse, where the beat of the break quiets down again. In this second part of the song, Rozmanowski combines positive stories from childhood – like hot chocolate, lullabies, and piggyback rides – with negative, possibly even abusive aspects – such as screaming, locked-up rooms and bruises. About the song, he has said that it views “nostalgia and trauma as two sides of the same coin” where nostalgia is romanticising something that may not actually have been that beautiful. It’s a beautiful, haunting track about childhood, religious trauma, and sacrifice. The track ends with Rozmanowski vocalising to the sounds of the synths. 

The last single that Rozmanowski released before the album came out was ‘Arachnophobia’, which he said started out as just a piano track which he sang over. “Forgot I’ve got arachnophobia” he sings at the end of the song’s one and only verse, which moves the song into this nerve wracking instrumental break that might as well have been part of a horror film. The fear can really, thoroughly be felt in this soul-stirring middle part of the song. After about 2 minutes of this, Rozmanowski begins whisper-singing the album’s title before stating that “I won’t let you inside, I won’t fall, I won’t break.” It continues like this until the very end, with the background music only ever becoming faster and more intense. The drums keep banging on while Rozmanowski repeats the lyrics over and over again before ending it all with one final, long note. It is a very experimental track which will definitely be very intriguing to hear live. 

Moving on to a song most fans of the singer have already heard live many times, it is ‘The Letter’, which was released in September 2023. It is interesting to note that this song made it onto the album, while other singles ‘Need a Break’ and ‘Charisma’ did not. However, it makes sense when one knows how much this particular song means to Rozmanowski, as he has said that this is one of the first songs he has ever created and one where he really “poured his soul into.” During concerts, Rozmanowski has often asked the audience to let him sing this heartfelt piano ballad on his own. In this track, he sings to a person he loves who has mistreated and possibly even manipulated him. This becomes clear from the lyrics “I’ve swallowed every single word you’ve pushed into my mouth and spit them out as if they were mine.” Even still, he wonders why this person does not ever call him, while all he is doing is waiting by the phone to hear their voice. It is not entirely clear who the track is about, but through the raw emotion heard in Rozmanowski’s vocals it is clear how much pain he has felt as a result of this person. 

Fifth track ‘Decision’ opens with an acoustic guitar and some synths. However, after the first verse – in which Rozmanowski sings how “the world is giving me a chance to try again” – it moves quickly into a bass-heavy track. In the chorus, it becomes clear that the universe has given him and another person a chance to try again together, but Rozmanowski has decided not to take this chance. This is because, as he sings in the chorus’ final lyric: “Killing my ambition is harder than letting you go.” The electropop track is extremely catchy in its instrumentals, while the lyrics are yet again quite sad. It seems to be a break-up song, where Rozmanowski gives the other person permission to move on with their life without him. The track was actually inspired by a relationship that Rozmanowski had. Despite most of the track being very intense in terms of bass and synths, it ends with the acoustic guitar it started off with and a small chuckle from the singer.

The second to last track on the album is ‘Kisskiss’ which starts off with a funky little beat that immediately makes the listener want to get up and dance. This is quite a sensual little song, with Rozmanowski making it very clear in the first verse that he is not looking for anything long-term, so to speak. “You got me on my knees and I like it,” he sings, while whispering vocals in the background repeat this and other lyrics at the end of this verse. The layering of vocals continues in the pre-chorus, although the second layer has become clearer and high-pitched rather than an alluring whisper. In the chorus, Rozmanowski is very much ready to be kissed and more by this other person. In the second verse, he states how he is normally “polite and respectful,” but not now, as this is not what the other person is into. The bridge is very lush with Rozmanowski repeating the words kiss kiss several times. This song takes a very different direction from the rest of the album, as it is the only track that focuses on a theme of sexuality rather than trauma and pain. Although, these kinds of relationships do not always end so well either.. It is also interesting to note the distinction between earlier songs inspired by religion versus such a possibly sinful anthem. 

Finally, Rozmanowski’s debut album ends with the single ‘What do you want from me?’ which he released in August of this year. He was inspired by the weird situation he found himself in, feeling like so many people were watching him and had certain expectations that led to a massive amount of pressure. This is another bass-heavy track in which Rozmanowski in the first chorus talks about his ego and him as a person not agreeing on what is best for him. Like in ‘Nostalgia’, Rozmanowski mentions the theme of sacrifice, in this track stating that “what you see didn’t come for free”. In a later chorus, Rozmanowski goes back to his ego and states that while they have not always agreed, these different parts of him have managed to come together to no longer need people’s approval as this is unhealthy. Instead, he has learnt to focus on himself – he does not owe anyone anything. This is a great lesson to finish this album off with and something that many people can take away from it – while obviously raving to the fierce bass. 

I store my fear and my pain in the nape of my neck is a short, yet amazing debut album that features tracks that are haunting, meaningful, yet also often fun. The way Rozmanowski experiments both with his storytelling as well as the music’s structures is modern and refreshing. He truly is Poland’s biggest star and his fans will not have to wait long to hear some of these new songs live. The singer is currently on his second European tour through several countries, which started in Germany and will end in his home country.