New Music: JJerome87 – Track and Field

The name JJerome87 may not be familiar to some of you, but once you hear those vocals, you’ll get a smile-inducing feeling of recognition.

JJerome87 is the solo project of Joe Newman, who, as frontman of Leeds indie rock outfit alt-J, has been playfully subverting many of the expectations within the UK iteration of the genre. That desire to push those expectations, plus those of fans of his own band, to find a new way to express himself is a core element of Track and Field.

Newman does that once again on here, the minutiae of American life dovetailing into a sound that is as much classic Motown at times as it is piercing dream pop. It has some killer lyrics, ‘How many numbers do you call before you call me?’ and ‘I like rolling your name around my tongue’ being among them; every second line is a zinger that either break your heart or mend it. I’m certain I hear callouts to Belle & Sebastian and Velvet Underground in the lyrics, as if hinting that not all is as good as it can be within the world the song creates, making it a tantalising taste of what’s to come on his new album.

Track and Field will feature on The Canyon, which is out on the 26th of June and preceded by a gig at Bush Hall, London. You can find details on how to pick up the album on his website – connect with JJerome87 on Instagram for album and live news.