Woah! Holy Guacamole and a cup of strong coffee! We have been in this business on/off for thirty years and we can count on one hand all the artists that could reinvent themselves so effortlessly single after single. This is not a drill, good people of the indie circuit. Put down whatever you are doing for a second and listen to the new release from JW Paris.
“You’ve Got Me” single cover, photography by JW Paris
Right on time for the spooky season, London based trio return with a song that can only be classified as a mix between slow post punk, ska and a creepy lullaby. Yet it is delivered with a fiery manner and gusto. We knew already that JW Paris were one of the leading acts on the underground scene in the capital, but with “You`ve Got Me” it`s a whole different playing field. Jump on the bandwagon folks. This group will not be relegated to small venues and fringes anymore, they are here to take over the dance floor. And bring their own tunes while at it.
JW Paris started out as a grunge/ college rock inspired outfit, successfully blurring modern sound with the Britpop overtones. Their signature mishmash of American and British guitar influences landed them radio airplay and press coverage on both sides of the Atlantic and in Latin America. But since the beginning of 2023, it became obvious that the trio were hungry for a radical change. First came a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”, where lead vocals were performed by bassist Daniel Collins. Transforming pop standards into punk anthems, that Iggy Pop would be proud of, was a bold move. But the single came paired with a cinematic video, full of hidden references to the works of David Lynch and Chris Carter. It highlighted the presence of queer and same sex couples at a time when UK was going through another assault on existence of LGBTQ+ community at the hands of gender critical hate groups. Once picked by BBC network, it received a whopping play on eight different local stations across the country.
In June this year the band followed up with “Leave It Alone” – brooding and psychedelia inspired track about struggles with demons and mental health that could easily be found in the repertoire of Mark Lanegan. By then the metamorphosis of JW Paris was fully evident. Usually, colorful sleeves were replaced by monochromatic grainy photos. The lyrics got darker and more personal. The band played a string of well attended or sold out shows and appeared at several music festivals.
Gemma, Daniel (auto portrait) and Aaron photographed by Daniel Collins
We are now almost in the middle of October. “You`ve Got Me” places ideally with shorter days, dark evenings and gloomy weather. Aaron Forde (back in his rightful place behind the microphone) veils like a tormented soul chained in a prison somewhere in Raccoon City. Daniel Collins’ bass is ringing nicely in the lower registers while Gemma Clarke`s drums bring about a thunderstorm of beats and bangs. The whole track feels like a waltz for Gomez and Morticia, if they raided Wednesday`s record collection. On top of everything there are multilayered chants in the chorus and a guitar solo. It`s a Bat of The Hell and Addams Family rolled into one bloody marvelous treat for all.
The beauty of the song is that it was written when JW Paris first formed and was partly recorded at Foel Studios (The Fall, The Stranglers, Klaxons) the UK’s second oldest residential recording studios. It was brought out of the archives and given a new lease of life by JB Pillon at currently defunct Buffalo Studios (the studio is relocating to new premises; they will be back!) who finished the recording and mastered it. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes – “You`ve Got Me” is a symbol of a rock band that will live through tribulations and trials – to be reborn stronger and louder.
As usual JW Paris shows their full creative powers by doing everything in house: single cover (a photo of a bathroom at a local venue in London if I guess correctly!) and accommodating visuals. The photos of the band taken by Daniel Collins (including a self-portrait) are a nice reference to the Japanese masters of camera – Eikoh Hosoe and Daidō Moriyama.
This is no longer your usual trio of musicians. JW Paris have morphed into full scale artists, sophisticated, mature and comfortable with their place in the world. To witness it is a privilege.
You can follow JW Paris on socials:
www.facebook.com/jwparismusic
www.instagram.com/jwparismusic
www.twitter.com/jwparismusic
https://www.youtube.com/@JWPARIS
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Eh8L6V40D5B70XCOucwE3
https://www.tiktok.com/@jwparismusic
“You’ve Got Me” is out today on Bloggers Records.
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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