If there ever was a time when the world should welcome a band with the indie-pop positivity and clarity of The Go-Go’s or similar vibing artists such as The Go-Go’s, The Primitives, and The Darling Buds, it is now. The power of such high frequency music for the soul and the psyche cannot be underestimated. We are living in such dark times and music like this seems to, by design, aim to let more light into the lives of anyone fortunate enough to be listening.
Catchy as they are, UK indie pop outfit Jody and the Jerms announce they will be releasing their full-length album ‘Wonder’ this spring via UK indie label JATJ Records imprint, leaving us with a tasty sonic morcel in the meantime – called ‘Started Something‘. With a vocal timbre so much like the unforgettable Belinda Carlisle and the catchy upbeat vibe of her pioneering 80s band, Jody and the Jerms could have, had they been making music in that same era, also found their way into the hearts of every teenage girl and the secret dreams of every teenage punk. Fast forward to 2023 – we can say that this music is a breath of fresh air and that it is great to see another female-fronted band thriving on today’s music scene.
Admittedly, we’ve lately been covering a lot of music involving RIDE frontman Mark Gardener – once again, he is involved with this project, having produced, mixed and mastered these 12 tracks at his OX4 Sound Studio in Oxfordshire.
‘Wonder’ follows their ‘Flicker’ album (2022) and debut album ‘Deeper’ (2020). Here, the Jerms deliver 12 jangle-pop gems, crafted with a sanguine innocence and vivid relatability.
Formed in Oxford in 2019, Jody and the Jerms have been writing, recording and performing their blend of melodic and uplifting indie/ alt rock ever since, having enjoyed national airtime on Radio X (UK), Sirius XM (USA) and RTVE (Spain), as well as BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, BBC Wales and BBC Ulster. Championed by the late Janice Long at BBC, among others, Jody and the Jerms is a collective revolving around Jody Jeger (vocals) and Niall Jeger (guitars and vocals) with other band members coming from The Anydays, who have graced the pages of NME, played with Radiohead and Supergrass, and were featured on Mark Radcliffe at BBC Radio 2.
“‘Started Something’ is about a chance meeting of two people which is so exciting and special that it just knocks them off their feet. Everything between them just clicks and fizzes with passion and verve. There are many reasons why they shouldn’t start something in this dreary world , with all their day in day out humdrum responsibilities, so they imagine that the world has stopped turning for everyone else, whilst they can have their time together,” says Jody Jeger, with partner Niall Jeger adding, “Musically, this started as a riff on an acoustic, as many of our songs do, which Rob followed on piano and the rest of the song came together really quickly”.
As of February 15, ‘Started Something’ is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and other fine digital music platforms. The ‘Wonder’ album will be released on April 21 and available on limited edition CD, pretty pink vinyl and digitally. In support of this release, Jody and the Jerms will be performing for select UK dates with more dates to be added. Further info can be found at https://jodyandthejerms.com/live
ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written by Jody and the Jerms
except ‘Get Your Feet Of My Shoes’ originally recorded by Boothill Foot Tappers (1984) and written by Chris Thompson
Jody Jeger – vocals
Niall Jeger – guitars & vocals
Peter James Millson – guitars & vocals
Robert Anwood – piano & synth
David Meaden – bass
Alex Bridge – drums & percussion (apart from ‘Don’t Look Back’)
Steve Clark – drums, percussion, Melotron & vocals on ‘Don’t Look Back’
Drew Atkins – bass on ‘Safe’, ‘Just For Show’ & ‘Last Ones Standing’
Andy Boyd – trumpet on ‘Bare’
Produced, mixed and mastered by Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound Studio
except ‘Bare’, ‘Intuition’, ‘Don’t Look Back’, ‘Get Your Feet Out Of My Shoes’ & ‘Insatiable’ mixed by Mike Bannard at Safehouse Studio, Oxford.
Cover artwork and design by Tim Manners
TOUR DATES
Sat., February 18 BOURNEMOUTH – Obsidian @ 7pm
Fri., March 10 NEWBURY – Craven Arms @ 7pm
Fri., March 17 SOUTHAMPTON – The Attic @ 7pm
Fri., March 31 OXFORD – The Bullingdon (with The Shapes) @ 9pm
Wed., May 3 EDINBURGH – Leith Depot @ 7pm
Thu., May 4 GLASGOW – Slouch @ 8pm
Fri., May 5 YORK – FortyFive Vinyl Cafe @ 7pm
Sat., May 6 MANCHESTER – R-Fest at Retro @ 6pm
Sun., May 7 LONDON – Off the Cuff, SE240JN (with Jinder) @ 7pm
Sat., May 20 WOKINGHAM – Hope and Anchor @ 7pm
Fri., June 2 BRISTOL – The Thunderbolt @ 8pm
Sun, July 2 MINEHEAD, SOMERSET – Weirfest at Porlock Weir @ 7pm
Sat., Aug 5 GLOUCESTER – Millwood Cam Festival @ 7pm
Thu., Aug 31 BLANFORD – Hall & Woodhead @ 7pm
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