Jay Som - singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Melina Duterte - released her breakout debut album Everybody Works to critical acclaim last year. Today she releases a 7-inch entitled Pirouette, featuring two songs from the Everybody Works sessions that Melina felt were "out of place" on the album. Listen to the b-side "O.K., Meet Me Underwater" now and buy Pirouette HERE.
Jay Som on "O.K., Meet Me Underwater":
"I wrote 'O.K., Meet Me Underwater' entirely around one of my favorite drum grooves - there's just something so funky and special about that beat. The general theme of the song is about the pain and acceptance of change within interpersonal relationships."
Jay Som has more tour dates coming up, including a West Coast co-headline tour with Japanese Breakfast. See below to find a show near you, watch Jay Som's NPR Tiny Desk for a sneak peek of what to expect live, and get your tickets HERE.
Jay Som's remarkable debut album Everybody Works is out now, and received "Best of 2017" round-up nods from the likes of NPR Music, Village Voice's Pazz & Jop, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Stereogum, Paste, Consequence of Sound, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, SPIN, Newsweek, Exclaim!, Under The Radar and many more. Purchase it on vinyl, CD, cassette or digitally HERE via Polyvinyl Records (N.A.)/Double Denim (EU/UK/Japan)/Inertia (AUS).
Pirouette cover art
Tour Dates:
02/04 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater @ GIRLSCHOOL
02/15 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos #% [SOLD OUT]
02/16 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret #% [SOLD OUT]
02/17 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom @ Sabertooth
02/19 - Reno, NV @ The Holland Project #%
02/21 - San Jose, CA @ The Ritz #%
02/22 - San Francisco, CA @ Gray Area Art & Technology Theater @ Noise Pop #% [SOLD OUT]
02/23 - Fresno, CA @ Strummer's #%
02/24 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House #% [SOLD OUT]
06/15 - Dublin, Ireland @ Donnybrook Stadium $
# w/ Japanese Breakfast
% w/ Hand Habits
$ w/ The National
Praise for Jay Som:
"She is a nimble, honest songwriter in a variety of modes - synth-pop, shoegaze, garage rock - and never sacrifices grooves or hooks for some forced idea of lo-fi intimacy... among a growing cadre of women of color who are reorienting the power center of indie rock from the inside with skill, conviction and personality." - New York Times
"emotive indie pop that sticks" - The New Yorker
"some of the year's most memorable hooks, gritty guitar noise and thoughtful reflections on coming of age." - NPR Music (#21 - Best Albums of 2017)
"Everybody Works, from 23-year-old Melina Duterte, can restore your faith in the future of indie rock." - Pitchfork (#26 - Albums of 2017)
"[Jay Som] sets a high bar for introverted pop...Everybody Works glows with warmth and goodwill for her fellow humans" - Rolling Stone (#29 - Best Albums of 2017)
"An indie-pop breakthrough that feels like the first step on a long, winding road...Everybody Works not only sparkles, but suggests a songwriter with a lot to say, and many more engrossing projects ahead of her.." - Billboard (#46 - Best Albums of 2017)
"Everybody Works is a sparkling testament to self-sufficiency."- Stereogum (#23 - Best Albums Of 2017)
"The result feels personal and vulnerable and, above all, beautiful. And it's our favorite album of 2017." - Paste (#1 - Best Albums of 2017)
"exquisitely crafted tunes fall somewhere between Carly Rae Jepsen and Built to Spill, dabbling in riffy squall and synth-pop alike.Duterte's gifted songwriting unites her stylistic breadth" - Entertainment Weekly (#20 - Best Albums of 2017)
"a rising indie star." - SPIN (#21 - The 50 Best Albums of 2017 So Far)
"In what can only be described as bedroom maximalism, Duterte dug her lyrics into the granular, banalities of existence and aimed her production at expansive soundscapes." - Consequence of Sound (#48 - Top Albums of 2017)
"The music is hooky and uptempo, the lyrics honest and endearing." - Newsweek (#4 - The 17 Best Albums of 2017)
"With its many different styles, ranging from guitar-heavy indie-rock to dance-oriented R&B to spacey ambient soundscapes, Everybody Works plays like a mixtape of new music that seems instantly familiar and welcoming." - Uproxx (#28 - The 50 Best Albums Of 2017 So Far)
"Stylistically moving between indie pop and dream pop and acoustic pop, painting purples and oranges with ease, the record is, along withAlvvays, more proof that women are doing the best and most creative work in the indie rock scene right now." - Pretty Much Amazing (#20 - Best Albums of 2017)
"It takes courage to create an album that possesses sonic flourishes reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive only to combine the sound with pointed sincerity and heartfelt wonder" - Under The Radar (#25 - Top Albums of 2017)
"For her official debut, Melina Duterte shows that her do-it-herself, quirky bedroom-pop is ready for the world to hear" - Newsday (#20 - Best albums of 2017 so far)
"it would be an understatement to say that she's on a hell of a roll." - Buzzfeed
"Everybody Works has the mark of maturity far beyond the years that Jay Som has existed." - She Shreds
"Everybody Works is Duterte's most cohesive work but also her most expansive." - The AV Club