Janelane - "Okay With Dancing Alone"
Sophie Negrini has been performing as Janelane for the better part of the last decade. She released quite the stellar debut EP, Peaches and Cream, back in 2015, but stayed mum for a few years, returning in a big way in 2020 with a series of standout singles, including the heart-tugging “14 Days” and the sweetly melodic “Flowers From Athens.” 2021 saw the Los Angeles songwriter release “Celebrity Crush,” a booming and uptempo ode to unrequited celebrity obsession, and the anthemic “Goodbye To Heartache.” Today, she’s sharing her long-awaited second EP, Okay With Dancing Alone, which features two never before heard Janelane songs.
Negrini has proven herself to be a guitar pop wiz - the type that’s adept at using instrumental hooks and other accents to wear the feelings of her words. Her narrative lyrical style transports you to specific, relatable moments of love and heartbreak, and the music she creates adds additional depth to those settings. The two previously released tracks, “Goodbye To Heartache” and “Ask Me Why,” which make up the EP’s first half, do just that. The guitars and vocal melodies on the former, specifically around the ascending choruses, really capture the overwhelming feeling of mending a broken heart, while on the latter, the twinkling plucks of strings feel very similar to the feeling of tears welling as Negrini sings: “How can you ask me why. Your words turn into tears in my eyes?”
The two new songs on the EP, “Another Drug” and “Fool For Yesterday,” showcase some different elements of Negrini’s sharp songwriting stylings. Sonically, “Another Drug” sounds a bit rawer and frayed in a very cool way, with a surfier vibe that reminds me of early Tennis. Negrini really lets her guitar-playing steer the ship on “Fool For Yesterday,” an acoustic ballad awash in feelings of nostalgia, where the interplay of lead and rhythm parts elicits real feelings of longing, hope, and a desire to move forward.
In conjunction with the EP’s release, Janelane is also sharing a video for its lead single, “Goodbye To Heartache.” It features fun, vintage-looking shots of Negrini bouncing around different picturesque settings, jumping on a bed, and sitting on the same bed strumming her guitar.
Stream the video, and the entire EP, below!
Okay With Dancing Alone is out now via Astoria Tracks. You can purchase a copy on limited edition cassette via Bandcamp. The EP is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with Janelane by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram.
