Jean Paul Jean Paul reclaim a rhythm through guitarmony on ‘It Comes Back’
The Boston indie alt-rock sextet unveil an urgent and upbeat sophomore album of lived-in desire and perseverance on Friday, July 12
OUT NOW: Listen to ‘It Comes Back’ on Spotify
Featured track ‘Jai alai’ caps a series of singles leading up to the record
BOSTON, Mass. [July 12, 2024] – Leave it to a band named after a sleepy Seinfeld character to create one of the more urgent and upbeat records out of Boston this year. That band would be Jean Paul Jean Paul, the vibrant indie rock sextet that unveils sophomore album It Comes Back on Friday, July 12, the culmination of a series of singles that allowed the disparate styles and sounds showcased on the record to bloom like chapters in an overarching story.
The follow-up to 2022 debut Pollyanna, which boasted a Boston Emissions’ Song of the Year in “Bruiser,” this 11-track effort from Jean Paul Jean Paul finds desire at its thematic core, weaving tales of love, heartbreak, self-reflection, pain and joy as the cyclical nature of life plays out through a genre spectrum of guitar-rock that blends elements of jangle-pop, alt-rock, folk, reggae, grunge, and what the band itself dubs “guitarmonies” across a tireless sprint of a 30-minute run time.
There’s no sleeping in here.
“One major component that we all were striving for with this album was to capture the raw energy that these songs have when we play them live on stage,” says bassist Christopher Cornell. “Not to make a live album, per se, but to somehow thread that needle of raw live energy with amazing production value. The band isn’t afraid to incorporate any and all styles of music to avoid running the risk of becoming stagnant. We’re pulling from all of our roots and at the same time being open to what’s new.”
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Benny Grotto and recorded at Mad Oak Studios in the band’s home base of Allston, It Comes Back kicks off with a fury through lead track and album release single “Jai alai,” a song penned by vocalist and guitarist Steve Harding on a beach during a trip to Fort Lauderdale during the Covid shutdown. It’s a ripper of a tune that sets an instant mood for the album, and lyrically revolves around a person who rediscovered their mojo after suddenly losing it, and reveling in the ability to bounce back – hence the album’s title.
“‘Jai alai’ is about bouncing back after you lose your mojo,” Harding admits. “And when it happens it sucks and, like any feeling, in the moment it feels like things are never gonna change, but they ultimately do and time rolls on, waves crash forward, and you’re replenished. It’s cyclical. Emotions are, oceans are, and time can seem to be. Jai alai is a really cool, intense sport played primarily in South Florida and I thought it made for a nice metaphor for bouncing back when you may have lost your groove. You’ll be back, it comes back.”
Where “Jai alai” is about the loss and reacquisition of one’s mojo, it could be said that the other 10 tracks delve into how it’s lost, and then found, in the first place.
Tracks like the frenetic “Girl You Like” and yearning album closer “Origami” were also penned during Covid, when Harding notes how people were isolated or alone, making up movies in their minds. The ‘90s alt-rock-riff flavored “All My Heroes” centers around how we carry around other people’s dramas, both media-created and reality-driven, in our minds, and how that can consciously or subconsciously be projected into everyday behaviors.
On the breezy “Mona Lisa,” a cruising alt-rock rhythm glides with ease as a song about desire unfolds.
“‘Mona Lisa’ isn’t about the Mona Lisa,” Harding admits. “It was written in Brighton, during Covid too, and it’s about desire – really wanting something, or someone, but having to keep things cool. The actual Mona Lisa is like that in that it’s there, and you can look, but you will never be able to touch it. We liked the cheeky-ness of it. It may have a nod to The Cars.”
The appropriately raucous “Ascension (dive bar)” centers around getting drunk at a dingy bar after heartbreak and having a great time while doing so; while the fluid and confrontational “Fix Bayonets,” written by Cornell, is about finding that last ounce of fight when grief has all but consumed our physical existence.
“‘Fix Bayonets’ was written during a pretty dark period of my life,” Cornell reveals. “It touches on living up to expectations of others that you ultimately fall short on, self-reflection on if the battle to continue is worth it, and ultimately a rallying or war cry to persevere.”
Elsewhere, the jangly “Little Did You Know” positions itself as reflective of the first day of summer, “In Peoria” showcases a psych-rock ride through the Jean Paul Jean Paul galaxy, and the anthemic “OTTR” was written in a stream-of-consciousness state, and the band refuses to reveal anything further than that. Sing/shouting along to it may yield additional clues.
“For the album overall, a personal highlight how cohesive sounding it is,” Cornell admits. “I don’t feel like this has any fillers. Each song hits on a theme that is relatable to everyone - especially in this post-pandemic world, when a lot of these songs were written. Another huge highlight for me is how you can listen to a song as a whole but also hear every single member's contribution and how perfectly each piece fits together.”
The band agrees, with guitarist Andrew Cornish echoing the energetic pulse that flows throughout: “The album keeps me engaged and excited the entire time. I think it’s very representative of who we are as a band and how we perform at shows – just love the way our true sound was captured.”
And guitarist Warren Forbes is quick to highlight the aforementioned “guitarmonies” – which is to be expected from a band lining up a guitar troika to push the sound to almost dizzying heights. “It’s when Andrew and I play different notes but with the same rhythm creating what almost sounds like a normal chord,” Forbes notes. “But when it comes from two different guitars/tones, it creates this really wide, encompassing effect that I love.”
With It Comes Back ready to be unleashed into the wild, Jean Paul Jean Paul are already looking ahead to releasing more new music, likely sooner rather than later. The band has found a new collective gear as the chemistry amongst its six members flourishes both in the studio and on stage.
“As much fun as writing this last record has been, we’re already working on the next one,” declares drummer Andy Gelb. “We’ve got some fun new genres and musical ideas we want to tackle, and we can’t wait to start intertwining these new riffs in our live set.”
Don’t sleep on Jean Paul Jean Paul. Then again, they simply will not let us.
Jean Paul Jean Paul is:
Steve Harding: Vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
Andy Gelb: Drums
Christopher Cornell: Bass, vocals
Andrew Cornish: Lead electric guitar, 12-string guitar
Warren Forbes: Lead electric guitar, vocals
Tyler Dell’Aquila: Keyboard, vocals
Additional Musician:
Benny Grotto:Percussion, accordion, glockenspiel, triangle, keyboard
‘It Comes Back’ production credits:
All music composed by Jean Paul Jean Paul
Tracks 1 to 3 and 5 to 11 written by Steven James Harding II (BMI)
Track 4 written by Christopher Dean Cornell (BMI)
Track 7 co-written with Tyler Dell’Aquila (ASCAP)
Recorded at Mad Oak Studios, Allston Massachusetts, January 2024
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studio in Allston, MA
Co-production by Jean Paul Jean Paul
Assistant engineer: Mia Govoni
Assistant engineer: Anne
Mastered by Brian Lucey
Media praise for Jean Paul Jean Paul:
“Named after the Seinfeld character, Boston’s Jean Paul Jean Paul have released a new single that is going to appeal to those of us that can’t let the 90's completely go. ‘Jai alai’ is an indie/alt-rock burst. It clocks in at just over two and a half minutes of high energy 90's style alt-rock. I can’t quite put my finger on why these feels so 90's to me, but it feels like a harder, edgier Gin Blossoms or a faster Matthew Sweet. And then there’s just an epic guitar solo to completely win you over, in case you’re somehow still able to resist “Jai alai.” Jean Paul Jean Paul are one of those bands I’m familiar with by name only, and now I’m furious with myself for waiting this long to finally listen to them.” _If It’s Too Loud
“So we are going to cut right to the chase – It Comes Back from Jean Paul Jean Paul may not only be the album of the summer but, we would also loudly argue that it may end up being one of the best albums of 2024. Every song on “It Comes Back” from Jean Paul Jean Paul could easily become your new favorite song of all time.” _The Whole Kameese
“This indie rock anthem [‘Jai alai’] has some really interesting elements: it feels pretty ’80ish but with elements of modernity that doesn’t make it dusty, and it features vocals that reminds [us] a bit of U2.” _Radio Città Fujiko 103.1 FM
“Jean Paul Jean Paul has a kind of Cypress Hill meets The Mighty Mighty Bosstones energy. The crowd comes out for this band, and the five- or six-piece delivers a house party vibe. You know, the parties where cummerbunds swing from chandeliers and a keg of White Claw smashes through a car windshield. By accident. Nobody got hurt, and it was an abandoned vehicle that was due to be hauled off to the junkyard the next day.” _Hump Day News
“The Boston band Jean Paul Jean Paul shares their single ‘Bruiser’, a powerful song with a choral work that makes the song more robust, this single is part of their first album Pollyanna…” _R Mas
“A rock n roll band with post punk flavor. Their sound pulls in different directions, but the vibe is always fun and the room is always full. What more would you want from a live show?” _Hump Day News
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