Got us feeling wavy AF…
UK-born songstress Jess Kent is a lovely constant in the Aussie music scene, the Sydney-based star never failing to drop lush, hybrid-pop bops that warm the heart and soul. Ever since exploding onto the scene with her debut EP My Name Is Jess Kent in 2016, she’s continued to develop and evolve her creative aura in the freshest of spirits, and she continues that tradition with her latest EP Parking Karma, out now.
The record sees her continue to experiment with everything from pop, hip hop and even swing, delivering five wavy tracks that shine with honest exploration. There’s no attempts to pander to a certain crowd or write a specific kind of song, it’s just a songwriter pushing the bounds of her artistry. An artist just taking joy in her creative process. The result is wonderfully pure, fun and uplifting, and there’s definitely a song for everyone on this beauty of a record.
We caught up with Jess to get deep on the EP, her love of spin class and suss how she’s been faring throughout this year.
Check it below.
Congrats on ‘Parking Karma’! How does it feel coming through with an EP after the craziness of this year?
Thank you! Yeah, it’s exciting for sure. I feel like 2020 has just been like the craziest year for everyone obviously, so it’s definitely felt kind of weird to be putting out music in times like this. But music’s been a big part of what’s gotten me through a lot of tough times as well.
I actually made it during lockdown, with the hope of making people feel good when they listen to it. So I really hope they do [laughs].
You had one of the coolest EP launches I’ve ever heard of, launching it at your local Cycology club during a spin class. What was that experience like?
That was so unlike anything I’ve ever done before [laughs]. But it was so much fun, and I feel like everyone had a great time. They all came out so sweaty and just like with the biggest grins on their faces, so I think it worked out. Hopefully we can do some more little listening parties like that in the future [laughs].
Being a spin instructor has a sort of performative aspect to it in itself. What was it like merging that world with music?
Weirdly there’s a lot of crossover because it’s like rhythm riding, so it’s very musical. It’s always riding to the beat of the music, and then you add in the choreography along with that.
And so, the lights are down and there’s a whole light show. You could almost almost feel like you were in a live show in a lot of ways on the day [laughs]. There was definitely a lot of crossover and just an energy exchange of being there and everyone getting sweaty and cheering, and just having a good time. So yeah, it was a fun time!
Each song on the EP felt like it tracked a part of the process of meeting someone, from the initial dating stage to that honeymoon period then having reality setting in. Is that accurate?
Definitely like different phases of a relationship but also life as well. I feel like it’s an accurate representation of my time this year anyway, like it feels quite up and down, and I just wanted to be as honest as possible. So, ‘Life Happens’ for example, is definitely more chill than introspective, and kind of just thinking about life and ordering way too much Uber Eats [laughs].
And with ‘No One Else’, I feel like I was almost making fun of my dating disasters [laughs]. It’s kind of funny to just be self-deprecating sometimes and be like “oh well” [laughs]. And yeah, we definitely wanted ‘Cloud Nine’ to be the big moment in the live show, since it’s the last song that we play. It’s just like saying “Fuck it. Put this on for three minutes and just dance around your kitchen and forget about everything for a few minutes.”
‘Cloud 9’ has this really cool, old-school swing vibe, with a bit of rapping and vocals as well. It has so many elements, but it works perfectly. Did it take a long time to get all of that to balance out?
I definitely take inspiration from a lot of different genres, and I was lucky enough to get to work with Dave Hammer for the whole thing. So, we were just working out of his studio, and basically had this stretch of time where we could go and set up the guitars and set up the mics exactly how we wanted and just leave it there. Then we’d come back the next day, and everything would be exactly how we left it. You know what I mean? So, it was kind of easy to get into a flow with that kind of setup, and we would try heaps of different stuff each day and just build more on those ideas.
So yeah, ‘Cloud Nine’ was the last one that we did, and I feel like that one was “All right, what’s the one we’re still really wanting to get” and yeah, it kind of just came out. But we also went through a few different versions of it, and kept trying different verses until we got it right. But it felt very natural and everything flowed very organically.
‘Mood Ring’ has this really cool lyric “when I’m having a mood swing, you’ll be my mood ring”. Is that sort of talking about having a loved one be able to check you and be like “Hey, you’re acting like this”, or is it more just being in sync with each other and taking joy in that?
I feel like it’s probably both to be honest. It’s kind of like when you’re up and in a great mood, and you just vibe off of each other’s energy and then vice versa. It’s like when you’re so in sync with someone that like their mood becomes your mood, or if they’re off, you can check them, or you’re so close that they can kind of read and feel every change in mood that you go through. So, it was kind of about that and just a bunch of… I don’t know what I’m going on about in the verses [laughs]. It’s like “We go through these different moods and that’s okay” [laughs].
‘No One Else’ listens like a rainbow, it feels so wavy and zen. The whole EP is quite vivid in terms of sounds, production and vocals. Is that something you were aware of while writing it?
I’ve been hearing the word “wavy” a lot. I’m so glad, because that’s totally what we were going for in the studio. I feel like there’s a lot of different versions of what “wavy” could be, you know? Like the ukulele and ‘No One Else’, just being more of that vibe. So I’m stoked to have people using those kinds of words, and it was definitely the kind of vibe that we were trying for and building the visual world after the music has been really fun as well, just working with the team on that.
I think it brings things to life as well, like the ‘No One Else’ video is super trippy and ‘Cloud Nine’ is just like this little euphoria world.
‘Hi, It Me’ is so soothing and is a really cute “I can’t wait to see you again” sort of vibe. Was there a certain someone that inspired that tune? Or was it just a general sort of ode to being super infatuated with a loved one.
It was the first week of lockdown, and I actually wrote that song for my sister. It’s basically about being stuck in Sydney. It was when the travel bans had first come in and everyone was kind of like “What the fuck’s going on?” Like no one really knew how long this thing was gonna last, and I didn’t know when I was going to be able to get home. And I was scrolling through my notes and couldn’t remember if it was a song lyric or a letter that I meant to send. So we were like, “Oh well, let’s just turn this into a song”. So that was actually kind of what I would say to my sister on the phone.
Like she’s always stealing my t-shirts and we just binge watch The Office together and basically do nothing, but it’s crazy how you can be when you know you don’t have that freedom to travel. You suddenly feel so much more homesick. So, that’s the only one on there that’s not necessarily about a relationship. But yeah, I guess we were all feeling that detachment in the last few months, where you can’t get to see people. Just that homesickness for home.
I looked up the meaning of ‘Parking Karma’ and it was defined as “The ability to find an open parking space in a desirable location of a busy parking lot”. I’m guessing the phrase has a deeper meaning for you?
Yes and no [laughs]. Three of my friends always say it when we’re driving around like, “Oh, you have great parking karma” or “You have really bad parking karma.” We say it all the time, and it’s just been a thing, and then it ended up being a lyric in ‘Life Happens’. And it’s like, “backseat driver/ parking karma”, and I just thought it was so funny and I guess it’s like, if you believe it, then it’s real. I really think the people that believe they have really good parking karma actually do have it.
Do you reckon you have good karma?
I hope so. I like to think so [laughs]. We all I think can… I just think it’s such a nice concept if you believe in that stuff. Then, it’s kind of like you just trying to be a better person all the time as well. And I really do believe that things always come back to you in some way or another. So… I believe in it and I like to think that I have good karma [laughs].
i always talk about Parking Karma with my friends… like some people just have the most amazing karma.. i mean, if you believe it, that makes it real 💜☁️✨🌷💞🎀
— JESS KENT (@jesskentmusic) September 17, 2020
Lastly, are there any lessons from ‘Parking Karma’, regarding music and just life in general, that you’re gonna take onto the next project?
100%. I’m just going to have fun and keep experimenting. Like that was definitely the biggest difference from my first EP to this one. I was like “Okay cool, we kind of know what we’re doing now and I know how to approach a body of work.” It was also about knowing how I want to approach it and being consistent the whole way through. It’s definitely the lesson I know for the next EP, like we’ve already started working and writing for it. I don’t know why, but as soon as the EP’s done I just suddenly am like “Okay, I know exactly what the next one needs to be” [laughs].
But I’m definitely gonna keep working for sure, you just get super pumped for the next thing. I’m just stoked that we were able to bring this one altogether!
Jess’s new EP ‘Parking Karma’ is out now. You can buy /stream it here. You can also register for the pre-sale to see her live at Factory Summer Festival here. Be sure to keep up with her on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all of her latest projects.
