JARA mixes a sly darkness into the status quo of mainstream pop music.
San Diego pop performer JARA draws from his love of legendary English rock band The Clash and classic movies of the '70s and '80s, most notably horror flicks like Nightmare on Elm Street and The Lost Boys, in most of his work.
With his new song "Something Else," the young singer-songwriter uses '80s synths and loud percussion. It's stunning and cinematic. "I keep her loving every night / I'll make your pretty little heart scream / I'll keep her always satisfied / I'll make your pretty little mouth sing," he sings in the opening verse.
He continues to wrestle with exactly he wants out of the on-again, off-again relationship. "But now I wan't something else / Cause I don't doubt myselfI wan't something else / I guess I just wanted love / I guess it's never enough..."
In the accompanying music video (above), premiering today (Oct. 12), JARA goes for a ride down the highway in a black car. He is a free spirit. "I went into this music video not having a clear vision of where I was taking it. As a matter of fact, the only idea I had was the car driving sequence, and it was supposed to be just a quick visual," JARA tells Popdust. "When I got the footage back and started editing, I realized it was something cool and spunky that I could really dive into as a full music video."
When he was just 12 years old, he went through your typical teenager emo phase and played with local San Diego bands Thy Kindom Come, Before the Flood, AVOA and IAMOCEAN. Over the next five years, he started playing more of a pop-rock style on ukulele, which led him to uncover the work of The 1975, Passion Pit, The Weekend, The Neighborhood and many others. That exploration left a big mark on his artistry, and his journey began to truly flourish. Over the following years, his songwriting became more specific and influenced by his young adulthood and observations of the world.
JARA is also inspired by film-making icon Quentin Tarantino. He adds, "Instead of taking inspiration from a specific decade, I really wanted to combine '70s, '80s and '90s nostalgic film and fashion styles -- almost a vintage, nostalgic feeling and look that you can't put your finger on."
"Something Else" is from JARA's new EP, DISTURBIA, released in July. From his opening song "Cutting Corners" to "Psycho Lovers" to "Uninvited," he explores themes of love, uncertain times, and coming to terms with growing older. It's brooding and goes far below the surface.
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Jason Scottis a freelance music journalist with bylines in B-Sides & Badlands, Billboard, PopCrush, Ladygunn, Greatist, AXS, Uproxx, Paste and many others. Follow him on Twitter.
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