by David Wilikofsky
Jockstrap have long been tipped to be one of the most exciting new groups in the UK. The duo of Georgia Ellery (who also plays in Black Country, New Road) and Taylor Skye have put out a steady stream of tracks and extended plays over the past five years, each one wilder than the last. From dancefloor breakdowns to jazz balladry, the duo have consistently refused to be pigeonholed. Their debut album proves to be as slippery as their previously outings, acting as both a natural extension of Jockstrap’s sonic universe and a shot from out of left field.
As has been true with their previous work, it’s nearly impossible to pin Jockstrap down on their debut album. Each track seems designed to delight and confound in equal measure, ricocheting between styles and genre with abandon. Opener “Neon” and album centerpiece “Concrete Over Water” oscillate between acoustic balladry and cavernous electronics; title track “Jennifer B” combines Foodman-esque rhythms with bizarre spoken word passages and avant-pop songwriting. Even the stripped down folk of “Lancaster Court” or the slow burn of “What’s It All About” subvert expectations with their simplicity, relatively faithful genre exercises in an album that otherwise seems determined to cast aside that very concept.
In a recent interview, Skye posited that Jockstrap fans are “interested in being surprised.” I can’t speak to the veracity of that statement, but it’s certainly what has drawn me to the band’s body of work. What ultimately makes this album work isn’t the strength of the songwriting or performances (though both are stellar); it’s the sheer unpredictability of its music. Few artists could follow up an acoustic folk ballad with a dancefloor banger, but somehow this and many other seemingly unnatural juxtapositions make complete sense within Jockstrap’s sonic universe. It’ll be hard to top the sheer madness of their debut, but I have confidence that Jockstrap will manage. They know exactly who they are and exactly what this fan wants.