Shifting from the collaborative nature of her earlier work, Jehnny Beth's second solo album, ‘You Heartbreaker, You’, showcases a more stripped-back approach in every aspect.
Jehnny Beth is currently immersed in rehearsals. She joins a Zoom call just after completing a morning of vocal warm-ups, and for good reason. “This record is quite challenging to sing,” she laughs, pulling her jet-black hair back. “The songs transition from whispers to screams. The notes are really high,” she emphasizes. A mixture of propolis spray and adequate sleep serves as her remedy. With nine tracks totaling just under 30 minutes, she’ll likely need a good supply of both to channel the intense spirit present in her new album 'You Heartbreaker, You' during live performances. A sense of starkness permeates this new collection. Over the years, Jehnny has predominantly created music through collaboration, gaining recognition with the powerful Savages, and later with the 2021 release 'Utopian Ashes', a duet album with Bobby Gillespie—think of a punk-inspired Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. In her 2020 debut solo album ‘To Love Is To Live’, she collaborated with notable figures such as Cillian Murphy, Romy from The xx, and Joe Talbot of IDLES, but this follow-up is bare of guest artists, showcasing her unrefined essence alongside her creative and romantic partner Johnny Hostile.
“It was time to look at each other and do what I call the Oasis trick,” she explains. “Which is about self-belief; they’re the masters of that. I really felt it was the right moment. It was definitely time to do this.” Jehnny’s vocals, enveloped in a volatile and reactive atmosphere, soar over thunderous drums and robust guitar for the most part. Sonically, the album presents an exhilarating blend that nods to Nine Inch Nails and hardcore bands like Fugazi, Converge, and Quicksand. As Jehnny puts it, it features “washy guitars and music for the sad and horny.” The album certainly conveys a sense of urgency in both its sound and lyrics.
On Instagram, Jehnny often shares a series titled ‘20 things I’ve noticed’, a collection of contemporary proverbs that vary from profound insights to lighthearted musings. One of her more insightful observations advises to “don’t write to be read, write to breathe.” This notion seems to resonate throughout her often breathy, gasping delivery of lyrics imbued with a primal energy on the album. Some lines emerge as fragments expressed at the peak of ecstasy or distress, sometimes tinged with paranoia. For instance, she sings, “How can it be so complex / I just wanna see you undress” in ‘Out Of My Reach’, and on ‘No Good For People’, she asserts, “You haven’t found a way to kill me yet.” Later, ‘Reality’ features her declaring, “I hit your G so hard, it made you fall.”
Another noteworthy remark is perhaps less profound: “There are two kinds of people, those who have Oasis tickets and those who don’t.” She falls into the latter category—despite having shared vocals with Noel Gallagher on his Gorillaz track and their Britpop alliance ‘We Got The Power.’ “I haven’t attended, but I’ve heard amazing stories from those who have. My friend always goes to the mosh pit, and I tag along,” she smiles. “Apparently, the pits at Oasis shows are quite intense right now. She mentioned middle-aged men doing ketamine off each other's heads. She’s accustomed to mosh pits, but this felt different—moshing from another generation. I think what [Oasis] does is quite significant, especially for men in the UK; they resonate with a segment of the population that often feels overlooked in culture, music, or media. They truly deserve that recognition.”
“Mosh pits played a crucial role in the making of ‘You Heartbreaker, You’, particularly the dynamics formed during the Queens of the Stone Age tour that I supported in 2023 alongside Viagra Boys. “In America, they really embrace extreme music,” she notes. “There’s a dedicated fanbase for bands like Korn, Tool, and now Turnstile. There’s an unwritten code. It might initially seem violent if you don’t get it, but it’s more of a dance. If you’re hesitant, you may end up getting hurt. You have to fully commit. It’s one of those rare experiences that keeps you grounded in the moment—both a mosh pit and being on stage convey that for me.”
Upon returning from that tour, Jehnny reignited her relationship with the guitar. “I realized [Johnny] was a riff machine,” she reflects with excitement. Johnny Hostile has been a part of every musical phase in her career.
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Stepping away from the collaborative emphasis of her initial career, Jehnny Beth's second solo album, ‘You Heartbreaker, You’, sees her simplifying things in every way.