(Photo Credit - Pamela Littky)
Advance Review - JR JR: August and Everything Prior (May 1, 2020)
The duo of Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott AKA JR JR have returned with a new EP. August and Everything Prior is a five track EP that is an alt-pop banger session. In it, JR JR's opening
inquiry is"What if somebody really does break the internet?". From there it's off to the races with opening track "Good Old Days", a track that hits all the right notes and features the melodic brightness of summer.
That shimmering sensibility continues into the next track, "The Way I Do". With an unbelievably singable chorus, you simply can't help but move to this one. I can easily see people jamming out to this one in a live setting.
I'm not going to run down all the tracks for you. I'll leave that to you when you give it a listen. What I can tell you is that August and Everything Prior is full of alt-pop tracks that thematically evoke early 90's hip-hop and even some folky roots. Epstein and Zott also pull out mesmerizing harmonies all over this one.
In a world that has seemingly gone to shit at the moment, JR JR have given us something that's unrelentingly bright. Epstein and Zott show that even after a decade of collaboration, they can continue to make music that you can literally feel the electricity in. That's what makes JR JR one of the best alt acts on the scene right now.
Rating - 5/5
If you missed our interview with JR JR about the EP, check it out here!