There is an undeniable Paul Simon Graceland vibe veiled in the stripped down honesty of “Clean Up,” the latest track from indie pop darlings JRJR’s unofficial forthcoming record. The band (Josh Epstein, Dan Zott, Bryan Pope and Mike Higgins) have shifted their focus inward and in doing so has found that less is more. Though “Clean Up” is a far cry from their 2015 banger “Gone” it has a staying power for anyone silently wrestling their own inner demons, even without the anthemic production. “Hey, if I don’t go home soon/I’m gonna freak out/And I thought hey, if I don’t clean up/I know I’ll miss out” confesses a defeated Epstein, who has been open about his struggles with anxiety and mental health. Docile and feathery percussions paired with twinkling keys and a somber, hushed guitar, it’s these very subtleties in “Clean Up” that reveal a more vulnerable JRJR. And though we have no doubts that they haven’t completely shed their penchant for showy pop-rock, it’s refreshing to see a band stripped down by experience and growth opposed to commercial success and label pressures.
Dust off and clean up with the latest therapy session from Detroit based JRJR:
Catch JRJR on tour this fall:
Thu, Oct 5 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Fri, Oct 6 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
Sat, Oct 7 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Mon, Oct 9 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Tue, Oct 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Thu, Oct 12 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Fri, Oct 13 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne
Sat, Oct 14 – San Francisco, CA – Independent
Mon, Oct 16 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
Tue, Oct 17 – Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
Thu, Oct 19 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
Fri, Oct 20 – San Diego, CA – Irenic
Sat, Oct 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Lost Lake Music Fest
Sun, Oct 22 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Tue, Oct 24 – Dallas, TX – Trees
Wed, Oct 25 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
Thu, Oct 26 – Houston, TX – WOMH
Fri, Oct 27 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Sat, Oct 28 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Hell Stage
Mon, Oct 30 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
Tue, Oct 31 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Thu, Nov 2 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Fri, Nov 3 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church of Christ
Sat, Nov 4 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Sun, Nov 5 – Cambridge, MA – Sinclair
Tue, Nov 7 – Buffalo, NY – Waiting Room
Wed, Nov 8 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
Thu, Nov 9 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Fri, Nov 17 – Detroit, MI – El Club
Sat, Nov 18 – Detroit, MI – El Club
