The Beaches

‘Jocelyn’ starts eerily as vocalist Jordan Miller sweetly sings “Oooooooh / Jocelyn / Oooooooh” over the top of a tense, increasing guitar riff. It feels so uncanny and slightly sinister but it also feels so exciting and draws you completely in from the get-go. The bass in this song is a strong component as it guides us into the thick of in this track.

This one feels different to anything The Beaches have produced before; normally their songs, even with emotional, sombre lyrics, still sound upbeat and fiery. But Jocelyn is different; it feels honest, it feels raw and it feels so f**king real.

Packed to brim with lyrics of self-doubt and uncertainty but also sounding like a warning to whoever this mysterious Jocelyn character it is. It sounds like these lyrics are from a place of precariousness and to only be approached with caution but it is so refreshing.

Vocally, Jordan Miller never falters, in my opinion. She has one of my favourite vocal ranges on this entire planet, but The Beaches seem to have steered into this collective, united side of vocals together as one and it feels as though its symbolises not only the bands clear compatibility as musicians but also symbolising this strong idea of female empowerment and them stating that they’re a force to be reckoned with.

I’m slightly biased here: I love this band and what they do, and after their last album I was so satisfied but left fearful they couldn’t possibly produce anything that met the same level of precision and indefectibility.

However, The Beaches have given me a kind of warm, loving reassurance through this track ‘Jocelyn’ and their other latest release ‘Takes One To Know One’.