Album Notes

Brooklyn duo Project Jenny, Project Jan is an undertaking that is constantly evolving. Consisting of Jeremy Haines (vocalist) and Sammy Rubin (programmer/keyboardist), the band’s compelling five-song debut EP is an unexpected journey through genres: at times, pop-infused rock is pummeled with homespun dance beats; while quieter moments reveal the band’s thoughtful, artful and tender tendencies.

Beginning with the rollicking big band opener “Fight Song,” the band blast into party mode, as Jeremy Haines’s graveled voice leaps unpredictably over a cascade of brass instruments. Continuing in this vein, pop reigns king on the light-hearted “Chinatown Bus,” as steady vocals are stippled with an addictive melody. The band then takes pause with the elegant “Low,” a moody number which plays military drumming against a rippling futuristic melody.

Finishing out the EP, Haines delves into good-natured rapping on the up-tempo, dance-hall brushed “Negative.” And then waning a shade darker with the moody, Eastern-flavored “The Dialogue,” Project Jenny, Project Jan proves its extraordinary range of songwriting abilities and maturity as musicians.

While essentially a beat-driven band that crafts tunes for the dance floor, Haines’s passionate and raw vocals lend an organic dimension to the layered sounds created by Rubin. With whimsical tendencies evoking a less-dark version of Clinic, and pop-buoyed genre-jumping approaching that of Of Montreal’s, Project Jenny, Project Jan is nevertheless impossible to pigeonhole.

In a quick EP, the band has managed to showcase a range of styles without ever sounding derivative. Their sound is fresh from the first listen and grows increasingly addictive with each spin. With engaging live shows, Project Jenny, Project Jan is poised to energize the indie soundscape and rearrange dance floors with its vibrant sound.