I Love You Jennifer B (studio album) by Jockstrap

One of my favourite things about music as an artform is the weird way in which forces that seem contradictory can be made to work together. This is definitely the case with Jockstrap's beautiful, twisted and unnerving brand of avant-pop. It took a little while for this to completely sit right with me, which is kind of surprising because I'd loved the duo's 'Wicked City' EP for some time before this. Maybe that record had given me slightly the wrong idea of what to expect, there was a euphoric smoothness to some of the tracks, but nothing that comes close to indie rock, when I first heard this and a track like 'Glasgow' came up I really wasn't sure what to make of it. A bit over a year on most of the pieces have fallen into place for me. The more guitar led tracks on the record allow a freedom from Georgia's vocals which is kept boxed in by the more rhythmic electronic tracks. It leads to an ebb and flow across the record as these almost disparate tracks just about hold together. The soaring vocals at the end of 'Neon' suddenly fall flat and the beats of the title track cut them off and warp them. The unsettling rush of lines that conclude 'Angst' give way to the open soundscape at the start of 'Debra' before that too becomes a structured pop tune with some incredibly wonky electronics. It's genuinely exhilarating stuff, especially when it all takes place on one track, like with 'Greatest Hits' which sounds like pop music from the future. Ideas just completely overflow from this track, the kind of thin sounding synths allow for massive vocal flourishes but work just as well for spoken word sections, the warped vocal constantly repeating the same two unintelligible syllables should be annoying but instead it's a key part of the track's rhythm, the backing vocals sound just that bit off as they reinforce the chorus before disappearing. It's the best of a number of highlight tracks which sometimes manage to be so good that they make decent tracks seem boring. There's nothing that wrong with 'Lancaster Court', but sandwiched between 'Glasgow' and '50/50' it just feels like it kills the momentum. With 'I Love You Jennifer B', Jockstrap set the bar so high, that anything short of a revolutionary pop track feels like a let down, it's not a bad problem for a record to have.

Solid debut record overall. Hope this electro-pop music movement will continue to grow over the years with artists like them or Caroline Polachek, expecially after the disappointing records of Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX. I can see a lot of potential.

Album Rating: 74.60
(746/10)

1.Neon. 77
2.Jennifer B. 74
3.Greatest Hits. 85
4.What's It All About? 71
5.Concrete Over Water. 86
6.Angst. 75
7.Debra. 70
8.Glasgow. 75
9.Lancaster Court. 70
10.50/50 (Extended Mix). 63

From Brad1770 12/27/2022 11:06

Simply outstanding collection of eclectic genres, musical styles and direction all pinned together with Georgias gorgeous vocals and spicy lyrics

Hands down the most surprisingly good album in 22 & the BEA community are all over it currently correctly ranked inside the top 20 albums for 2022. Destined to be a classic

TBC…

Album Ratimg:

1.Neon. 77
2.Jennifer B. 74
3.Greatest Hits. 85
4.What's It All About? 71
5.Concrete Over Water. 86
6.Angst. 75
7.Debra
8.Glasgow
9.Lancaster Court
10.50/50 (Extended Mix)

From O.T. 10/26/2022 18:29

Futuristic music filled with a vibrant mood from the past. it reminds me of late Glam Outsider works, but using a musical language 45 years younger and not only this but heading towards the future. But the link to the past adds not only a sense for drama but also for subtle details. This might surprise when listen to some of the songs seem to play rather with the loudest effects, attacking the sense of style within the musical understanding of the both musicans. And yet that makes the music so dramatic and special and much deeper than they might even guess. This is an outstanding achievement.

It's strange listening to and sharing my thoughts about this project as Taylor Skye (one half of the duo) is a close friend, so I've been witness to Jockstrap's rise over the past five years and know some of what has gone into their debut. With that being said, and trying to remain as objective as possible, I can only admit that I love the album and think it contains some of their most vibrant yet mature work to date. Definitely an artist to keep an eye on for future releases too, since Georgia has now stepped down from her commitments with Black Country New Road to put more time and focus into Jockstrap.