Exclusive Release: Watch Vernon Noronha’s Heartrending Video for “Come Back Jack”

Singer songwriter Vernon Noronha. Photo by Akshay Sawant.

If singer-songwriters ranging from Jeff Buckley to John Mayer have proved anything, it’s that they can write music with evocative words more than anything else. Even India’s own singer-songwriter lot, ranging from Delhi-based Prateek Kuhad to Mumbai’s Tejas Menon, have worn their heart on their sleeves.

After writing and performing songs at festivals and clubs across the country for nearly eight years, Mumbai-based singer Vernon Noronha is stepping into spotlight with his debut EP Closer to Home [due out February 20th]. The first glimpse of Noronha’s self-taught mournful, reflective songwriting comes from his new music video “Come Back Jack,” one of his most intimate and somber compositions.

“Come Back Jack” reimagines Noronha’s own experience of his father going missing in April 2013. “I began writing this song when I finally came to terms with the fact that my father was missing. The video highlights some of the reasons of my father’s disappearance.” explains Noronha.

The video shows Jack, an alcoholic who, somewhere between flashbacks of playing with his family on the beach and getting into drunken brawls with neighbors and cops, fails to look out for his wife and young son. It is directed by Kedar Sonigra. Says Noronha, “If you watch carefully, you’ll notice that he [Jack] doesn’t come home the next morning. Some people get that, some people don’t, but it’s open [to interpretation] both ways.” Shot in Mumbai at Juhu beach and the neighboring hutments, “Come Back Jack” parallels the painful truth of Noronha’s lyrics: “You can come home if you want/ You can stay.”

With about 45 songs in his book, Noronha finally feels confident enough to release the five-track Closer to Home after a year’s delay. He adds, “I joined forces with the exceptional Leron D’souza [producer and formerly a part of Noronha’s band as a percussionist] who has turned things around and made the songs sound so much richer and beautiful.”  The EP, which will be promoted at shows across Mumbai and nation-wide next month, captures some of his most earnest sentiments””whether it’s “Sunrises and CandleLights” that attempts to give a friend hope through tough times, or “As The Ship Sails,” an imaginary ode to the hardships of long-distance relationships.

Watch ”˜Come Back Jack’ below.