Heads Up: Jazica

One of the things I have been negligent of is searching out new, unsigned talent. It is easy to venture onto any website (from MySpace to iTunes) and search for bands with released material; searching for unsigned band globally though can be a challenge. Much like navigating through a major, medieval city without a map, surfing through the web for something that really catches your attention can be a chore that ends up in a dead end. So, in order not to get myself lost in the flux, I really am going to force myself to bring attention to unsigned bands the moment I discover them so that you could them check out. With enough exposure today, we just may be listening to tomorrow’s veterans. This next band is one that I have sat on for too long.

Jazica, hailing from southern England, is a quartet that does not fit nicely into any given category. Electropop but with a traditional lineup (Nick Haverly (bass), Kev Jones (drums), Frankie Murdoch (vocals, guitar, synths), and Chris Smallwood (guitars, synths, electro beats)), indie sound but not the same old prepackaged feigned angst, the best way to describe their music is sagacious. Here are some comparisons that may help: inviting like Friendly Fires, sexy as Metric, distinct as Guillemots, and yet savvier than the average band cause they can generate a unique sound (like the aforementioned bands). In the proverbial nutshell, this is music that will perk your ears up a bit and grabs your attention.



Supporting bands like Chew Lips and Delphic and being finalists in the Road to V Competition in 2009, Jazica are now achieving radio play on BBC Radio. On 16 January 2010, Jazica released a four-track EP titled “Cut Shapes.” “Sugarcane” is the opening track, starting with a mysterious air and ushering in affected vocals, there is this perfect mix between digital and analogue sounds. Followed by “Laid Back,” the mood changes into more of their “punkish” influences; keeping their singular pop sensibility, the song is the most guitar and drum driven on the collection. “Start,” my favorite, has that Banshees’ “Kiss in the Dream House” quality. Outside of their regular comfort zone, experimental in arrangement and mixing without being inaccessible, though it is a song that anyone can really appreciate, it is truly a song for true music lovers. The collection completely changes pace for the final track, “Follow the Rhythm” – upbeat, quirky, and truly 80s in its heart, this is amazingly playful song that breaks with the current trends of what 80s references bands are making. But that is the thing about the “Cut Shapes” EP and Jazica in general, the references are wider and more idiosyncratic than most of the bands out there; add that with their own sense of pop sensibility and how to approach music, you have an EP worth adding to your collection and a band you need to check out and support.



Track Listing:
1. Sugarcane
2. Laid Back
3. Start
4. Follow the Rhythm

Keep up with Jazica at their MySpace page, listen to the music they are streaming, and if you are as hooked as I, head over to the Bandcamp website and purchase the EP.

One last teaser to get you hooked on Jazica; here is their latest posted video, “Laid Back,” from their YouTube Channel: Jazicatheband.