I can’t tell you how excited I am to see this review being published. As music journalists we always strive to push our coverage in new directions. It is not always easy to come up with a format we haven’t tried but when an idea strikes, we must act on it! This was such a joy to complete, even if it required a lot of effort. Our all-time favorites JW Paris have just published their new EP. “Stuck in a Video” part II consists of four incredible singles and we decided to review each of them separately, as stand-alone releases only to bring all four installments into one big, multilayered review.
cover of Stuck in a Video EP II – 90s vibes with scanned polaroid of what looks like a toilet at CBGB
Five thousand words, four articles and obviously a lot of praise. We are incredibly impressed with what JW Paris managed to achieve. When the band released their debut EP in October 2022, they were at a particular point in their careers. They just finished the gargantuan task of summarizing four years of their musical output into a unified record (which is hugely challenging in itself) while also finishing completely fresh material, without repeating themselves. Working double duty is not for the faint hearted and we know that many artists prefer to finish one project before launching onto a new one. Well, JW Paris seems to thrive on large amounts of caffeine, tight schedules and pure chaos.
“Stuck in a Video” part I included six tracks (“New Era”, “Sober”, “Electric Candle Light”, “She”, “Runaway”, “Stuck in a Video”) and lasted over twenty minutes, much longer than the average independent release these days. It felt almost like an LP and had the band decided to add a song or two – we would end up with a magnificent first album. The record involved a bit of risk taking. The unusual running time of the debut was also enforced by the fact that some songs on the EP were over 4 minutes long and faced the possibility of not being played by radio stations. The gamble was real, but it paid off royally, giving the band their first BBC Radio 1 spins and reaching new audiences way outside the UK. I remember being surprised to see French, Spanish and even Latin American reviews, Korean fans getting in touch and US publications featuring the band in actual print. Suddenly, the world was listening, the band was no longer just an unknown trio from Luton.
Gemma Clarke (drums) – photo by C24 Photography
“Stuck in a Video” part II finds Aaron Forde (vox, bass), Daniel Collins (vox, guitar) and Gemma Clarke (vox, drums) in a much comfortable position and with even greater taste for experiments and trying out new things. What made EP I such a firecracker (a clever mix of Britpop with American college rock) is taking a backseat on EP II. You can say the band reinvented their sound, but what truly happened is a band growing and expanding their tone. The new material: “Alive”, “Who Are You”, “You`ve Got Me” presents darker, dirtier and more unruly approach to songwriting. JW Paris evolved into a mainstream alternative rock act with preference for post punk and garage rock arrangements. The only known composition is a new version of the title track, that closes both EPs in a form of a particular linchpin.
“Stuck in a Video” is a heart wrenching ballad, exploring questions of belonging and breaking with one`s own past. How do you get out of a vicious circle of nostalgia and repetition – it may be comforting at first, but also limiting and dispiriting. “Looking back is a waste of emotion” as Steve Lamacq once put it, and I can’t find a better way to summarize the song. On EP I “Stuck in a Video” had a very 80s feel – it is sung with a verve and gusto that make it look like a missing track from ”Hi Infidelity” by Reo Speedwagon. For those who weren’t around at that time (poor things), it is a classic rock/pop album with some of the biggest hits of the era, it defined how rock would sound in that decade. As a closing track “Stuck in a Video” is a perfect `last call`. It leaves you on an incredibly high and positive note. It makes you want to rewind and give the whole thing another listen. JW Paris are known for adding extra details to their releases, for those who like to dig a little deeper. In theme with the 1980s aesthetics, the EP I was given a cover worth of the period – an old school graphics of a TV (Grundig Super Colour, mon amour!) floating in space, maybe a dig at Tron or perhaps a reference to “Money for Nothing” video.
Aaron Forde (bass/vox) – photo by c24 Photography
If you loved what the band did with “Stuck in a Video” on the first EP, then you will have a bit of a shock when you listen to the remastered version on the EP II. But that’s good, very good actually – a real experience how it felt coming out of the 80s and into the 90s when the guitar scene morphed before your very eyes and went from pudel hair and spandex to flannel shirts and doc martens. New version of “Stuck in a Video” isn’t some sort of grungy anthem to mosh to. It retains it`s melodic lines and you can still classify it as a ballad, but the whole production is so different, more modern. Gone is the atmospheric greatness suitable for a stadium concert, with an up close and personal experience of a small gig. The difference between the first and second version of the song is phenomenal, you basically get two tracks in the end. Mastering and mixing can make a drastic change even to the biggest recordings in rock history. Just listen to the original run of “Machine Head” by Deep Purple and then compare it to the mix delivered by Dweezil Zappa for the record`s 50th anniversary to know what I am talking about. JW Paris may be still a local band but they think like the greatest minds in the music industry.
In recent weeks JW Paris have been invited to play at BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend festival, “You`Ve Got Me” reached almost 50K streams on Spotify while “Who Are You” have been played by every major station in the UK, got itself on a regular rotation on Sirius XM`s Underground Garage (thanks to the Little Steve of E Street Band) and even received its first airplay in Japan. Obviously, there are acts out there with much more impressive stats but JW Paris are three people who work full time, tour, record and do pretty much everything in house. The way they have been slowly rising and reaching major goals is fascinating.
Daniel Collins (guitar/vox) – photo by c24 Photography
There is an industry legend about a shared rehearsal space in New York from which acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol and The Strokes emerged. Apparently, the same space hosted on occasion members of a different ensemble. They did not attain fame immediately; it took them almost a decade (and moving out of NYC) to find their own sound and audience. That band was War on Drugs and if JW Paris can be compared to anyone, I think Adam Granduciel`s gang is a great fit.
No matter how hard it may be for independent artists, their work, art and passion will always find a way to connect with the audience. Laugh but one of the biggest rock acts these days is War on Drugs and one day we will say the same thing about JW Paris.
You can follow the band on socials:
https://www.facebook.com/jwparismusic
https://www.instagram.com/jwparismusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@jwparismusic
https://www.youtube.com/@JWPARIS
https://twitter.com/jwparismusic
https://soundcloud.com/jwparis-music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Eh8L6V40D5B70XCOucwE3
Review of other singles on the EP:
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2023/12/01/jw-paris-alive-single-review/
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2024/03/20/jw-paris-who-are-you-single-review/
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2023/10/12/jw-paris-youve-got-me-single-premiere/
Our review of Stuck in a Video (part I) EP
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2022/10/28/jw-paris-stuck-in-a-video-ep-review/
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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