Tom Gallo is the host of Look At My Records! on Radio Free Brooklyn.
After releasing Peel Dream Magazine’s debut album last fall, Oakland-based indie label Slumberland Records has scooped up another Brooklyn band for an impressive first release, indie-pop duo Jeanines. Earlier this month, the band shared their debut self-titled album, a glistening 26 minutes of pristinely serene lo-fi indie-pop spread out across 16 songs.
With each song averaging a little over the one minute mark, the Brooklyn duo gets right to the point, giving listeners the perfect dose of jangly guitars, delicate multi-tracked harmonies, and sparkling melodies. The album moves at breakneck speed, as the songs are quick and concise with an up-tempo pace that’s brisk and charmingly hooky.
The strummy and bouncy arrangements contrast with the lyrics, which have a pensive glum that lead singer Alicia Jeanine has described as being “obsessed with mortality and how weird the passing of time is.” Highlights include the album’s first track and lead single, the ambivalent “Either Way,’ the record’s longest track (clocking in at 2:34) “Hits The Bone,” and the confrontational “In This House.”
In many ways, the record sounds like it emerged from a different time and place, particularly, late ’80s Glasgow, where the album would blend right in with the powerhouses of that scene: The Vaselines and The Pastels. And while the record’s overall feel is definitely waxing nostalgic, Jeanines are flexing their indie-pop acumen and absolutely nailing a sound that has a cherished place in the history of independent music.
You can purchase Jeanines on vinyl via Bandcamp.
Cover image courtesy of Jeanines.
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