Canadian indie alt-pop/rock artist JEEN releases her new full-length album, Dog Bite, co-produced with renowned musician/fellow bandmate Ian Blurton (Change of Heart, C’mon, Future Now). In the opening seconds of the record, JEEN posits a thought: “maybe I’ll be gone.” It’s not hard to imagine where that sentiment comes from, recorded and produced in the midst of a pandemic that has wreaked havoc on every corner of every industry. It’s easy to see the desire to ask questions about what comes next.
What started as an EP quickly grew to an LP with 11 songs from the Toronto-based performer, including a knockout cover of a Sepultura jam. Recorded while demoing at home and jumping into Pro Gold Studio in the brief moments between lockdowns, Dog Bite goes beyond a pandemic record. It bursts at the seams with the desire for more, peeling back the layers of isolation and exposing a yearning for connection, for love and all the parts of our lives we’ve had to put away. Evoking the spirit of everything from the best fuzzy guitar riffs in The Breeders catalogue to the indie-rock pop of The New Pornographers and all the stops in between, JEEN puts it all on display.
“Maybe I’ll Be Gone” is a gritty pop kickoff, the sound of dancing in the pit with reckless abandon. “Don’t Wait” is a sonic road trip featuring vocals from Blurton, a winding road of breezy guitars and boisterous choruses. “Better Drugs” wonders why we are always searching for something more while “Fair to Move On” looks at a mutual drifting apart and a slightly regretted goodbye. Latest single “Recklessly” is for when you can’t tell if you’re moving forward, or falling behind, and when it’s impossible to know where you’ll end up. The music landscape might be changed forever and Dog Bite dares to ask what we are coming back to.
