Canadian Indie songstress Jeen announces her new EP, For The Romance, with the release of a hooky single, “Look What You Did”. Slated for an October 30 release, the record features five songs, three of which Jeen co-produced with long-time collaborator Ian Blurton. After some unfortunate music-industry setbacks that nearly derailed the project, Jeen says of the track, “It’s about being entranced by someone or something and following that feeling all the way, even though you can’t see where it will lead yet. At the end of the day, it’s a pop song. I wanted it to feel light and easy to sing along with, but still have some grit.”
The EP marks Jeen’s eighth solo release and sixth collaboration with Blurton (Change of Heart, C’mon, Future Now) whose work has elevated him to the top of the punk indie rock stratosphere.
“I had a series of existential crises trying to get this EP to the finish line, but I’m proud of the tracks that came out of it. I decided a long time ago this is the only way I can live if I’m going to be real with myself.”
For the Romance emerged from a difficult stretch that nearly broke her. “I do this for a living, so not having a real day job has its pressures, just free falling sometimes,” Jeen admits. “But the songs I make are where I put everything I have.”
Across the EP, Jeen stretches into bold new territory, from the Chappell Roan–esque disco lament of first single “Look What You Did”, to the pop-rock charge of “Psychedelic Silver Lining”, which wouldn’t be out of place on a future Olivia Rodrigo record. The title track, with its earworm hook and melodic points of anthemic release, feels destined for TikTok.
“Pop has really been blown wide open lately with all these crazy talented young women kicking so much ass and I love to see that,” says Jeen, whose influence can currently be heard up and down the indie music track dial.
Jeen has been making music since her teens, from co-fronting Cookie Duster with Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning to her 2024 album Gold Controlco-produced by Blurton. Along the way, she’s become known for her relentless writing and for scrapping whole albums that don’t meet her impossibly high standards. “Making music is like breathing for me. I’m always trying to write something better than I did before, something that I don’t think sucks,” she laughs.
What keeps her going is the connection with fans. Writing poignant, personal material gives her audience an in-depth look inside the performer that few musicians are able to share. “I’m a pretty self-deprecating person, no one is going to beat me up like I beat myself up. But when someone reaches out telling me how the songs I made became a part of their life, it’s like being given a deep breath, better than any drug.”
For Jeen, For the Romance was salvation. “Music can be a religious experience as a writer or a listener. This EP helped me fight through a really bad time. If I’m lucky, I can only hope it might do that for someone else out there.”
