“The songs offer a picture of late adolescence in all of its bittersweet nuance, its introspective contemplation matched only by its bold confessional attitude.” That’s how we described i tried to freeze light, but only remember a girl, the debut EP of Birmingham, Alabama-based songwriter and musician Jahnah Camille. Early single ‘flesh’ served a taste of what to expect, “channelling a 90s alt rock aesthetic to evoke a mood at once tender and simmering with bite,” while ‘elliot’ sanded down the edges to offer a lush, reflective ode to an old flame. Both tracks captured the peaks and troughs of teenage emotion, where the push and pull of longing are matched only by an insistent present.
With the release fast approaching on Winspear, Jahnah Camille has returned with new single, ‘roadkill’. Showing off yet another string to Camille’s bow, the song possesses near country sensibilities with its building rhythm, and boasts no small amount of rock swagger too. But again it is the lyrics which really see the artist stand apart. Because Camille has a knack for combining emotion and self-awareness, offering songs entirely committed to the feelings being explored but never lacking a wry wrinkle to add that extra layer of personality.
And now I can’t pretend
Like roadkill, untouched, out of it
We cried because we can’t forgetI’m marrying a florist
I’ll fall in love so slowly
I’ll make them more than boy of the year
Photo by Disney Bagwell