Two recent singles from JJ Sweetheart impress with a heartfelt rock appeal — spanning from the fuzzier intrigue of “Heart Medal” to the more charismatic immediacy within “Cinnamom.” The former track was written 15 years ago, and was the first song the artist ever wrote. “I barely knew how to play guitar and was going through my first real break up with my highschool sweetheart,” he says. “It’s a romantic but broken song, with a chorus meant to be a drunken sing along chant.” Its “I’m sinking,” vocal ascent proves particularly resonating, as jangling guitars and distortion combine with the uptick in emotion for a replay-inducing vigor.
The more recent of the two, “Cinnamom” was released today — and represents the third released single from the debut Big Things EP. Pulsating rhythms and debonair guitar strums complement a twangier vocal lead, admitting “I don’t want my face to be irrelevant,” while yearning for “truth.” The result is a rock drive that’s thoroughly replay-inducing, with stellar production from Coleman Trapp. JJ Sweetheart, notable in the Minneapolis scene previously as the former France Camp frontman, and previous bassist of Howler, thoroughly impresses with these two gems.
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These and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
