Power-pop troubadour-turned-piano balladier Jordan Jones continues his steady annual releases of singles that depict a musician in accelerated bloom. In only five short years since releasing his debut self-titled LP, he’s quickly outgrown the genre confines of jangle-punk yesterlife and found aptitude towards writing styles more akin to that of ELO, Dwight Twilley Band, Robyn HItchcock, and the philly-soul stylings of Hall & Oates.
As much can be seen on his new single, Listen, on Lolipop Records. Listen—succinctly proceeding his last single, Love Song of J—denotes his enduring hook-laden style from his years of teeth-cutting on power pop, while now showcasing new varying dimensions of songwriting in quick forward-motion. And his latest EP, “And I, You”, shows further the gradient of his sea change-–piano-driven heart-squeezers a la Tobias Jesso Jr. or Gilbert O’Sullivan with truly impressive piano and string arrangements that are strictly Jordan Jones.
Jordan Jones came from the San Gabriel Valley to Los Angeles with a fast-tempo’ed song in his heart and a Bob Dylan-looking bug in his ear. He integrated into the Los Angeles punk and authentic rock ‘n’ roll scenes as well as earning chops during his time spent in Nashville. The influence of location could hardly be argued out of Jordan’s chemistry. His knack for catchy hooks, succinct and emotional phrasing, and emphasis on human condition deliver more tears in one’s beer—sans cowboy hat-–than many of his other former neighbors in Nashville could promise.
As of recently, Jones’ reverence for film has led him to the endeavor of soundtracking. He’s decorated films on a vast spectrum, from skate videos to art films. In Agathe (dir. Jenna Putnum, 2021), Jones carpets a valley meadow with soft notes and strings as Agathe transforms through the grips of grief, emerging anew. In Thrasher Magazine-premiered Thank You, Jordan illustrates David Reyes’ somber and poetic skate part accordingly. As the filmstock alternates between color and black & white, it’s as if Jones' music does, too.
The regular unveilings that Jordan Jones lifts in the sequential development of his own artistic growth has proven to be must-view material, progressing into better and better output.
Listen to an interview about “And I, You” on NOLA County Radio here