Jockstrap's Life at the Party

by Colin Doherty

Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye have entered the club, spilt their drinks, and fallen in love with the DJ. On the debut, I Love You Jennifer B, they grab from a deal of music, - the elegance of a piano ballad, the soft reassurance of a coffeehouse tune, the abrasiveness of hyperpop, and the danceability of house music - finding their own spot aside the dance floor. Jockstrap are not making music as an excuse to stand in front of a nightclub, but because they love standing in the back of a nightclub, studying every move and BPM their art school hearts can hold onto.

Ellery, who acts as the group’s vocalist, has a chameleon-like voice, bleeding out of Skye’s wall of sound. Her voice takes flight on indie-rock arrangements like “Glasgow” and softly lands on the subdued “What’s It All About?” She’s as Joana Newsom as she is Billie Eilish. One second, she belongs in a theater, the other, a nightclub, and suddenly she’s in a stadium. Skye, who acts as the producer, blends between BJ Burton (producer of Bon Iver’s 10, A Million and Low’s Hey, What) and club music, shapeshifting through the kaleidoscope Jennifer B resides in. 

At the end of the day, this is a dance record. “Imagine I’m Madonna,” Ellery flaunts on “Greatest Hits”, “Imagine I’m the Madonna.” Sure, I believe it. Even when Ellery lands for a soft track, she gets right back up, harnessing your attention and moving too swiftly to keep track. 

Jockstrap keeps their cards close to their chests. I have no idea what to expect next from them which is exactly what I want out of a group like this. Like Ellery’s daytime job as the violinist of Black Country, New Road, Jockstrap can go anywhere and I’ll follow. Outside of the box, Jockstrap is hard to predict. Like a good night gone far too long, they are eager, impulsive, and impossible to ever forget. 

I Love You Jennifer B is out now.