JR JR | The Blue Light “I remember thinking, ‘Oh man, this guy
might be better than me, and that’s really awesome.’ I always
wanted to work with people who I was a little bit intimidated by,”
says Josh Epstein of how he came to collaborate with fellow
Detroit-area native Daniel Zott to form JR JR. Coming together through
a shared love for bands that effortlessly flexed harmonies like the
Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, the multi-instrumentalists recorded a
couple songs in 2009 just for fun. It wasn’t until their friends
started reacting with genuine excitement to their music that they
realized they had something real on their hands, and with that Dale
Earnhardt Jr. Jr. was born (the band’s original name). “We
suddenly had this thing that people wanted and we were sort of forced
into it, but it was a natural thing,” recalls Josh. They put out two
EPs on Quite Scientific Records in 2010, Horse Power (which included a
cover of The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”) and My Love Is Easy:
Remixes Pt. 1 , and soon major labels were reaching out to them. The
band shortly thereafter signed with Warner Bros. Records to its 2011
full-length debut, It’s A Corporate World . With 2013’s The Speed
of Things and 2015’s JR JR ( which featured the top 10 Alternative
single, “Gone”), the duo continued to expand its already broad
fanbase. Listeners across genre lines were drawn in by their
adventurous, danceable blend of classic songwriting, intricate
melodies and electronic elements. “Epstein and Zott remain purveyors
of kaleidoscopic pop music,” said Paste . AllMusic noted, “Despite
the use of zingy electronics and an array of mechanical drums, they
maintain a warmth and humanness to their sound led by frequent
McCartney-esque turns of melody…” “It can be interesting that
for some people, we’re the weirdest band they listen to, and for
others, we’re seen as very mainstream”, says Daniel Zott. “And
that’s great because it allows us to speak to people in very
different ways.” Daniel and Josh wanted to avoid the typical
trappings that come with having defined roles in a band, so there’s
no frontman in JR JR, just two guys who relish in the ying and yang of
a close partnership. They continue to do the bulk of the creative work
themselves – from writing and producing their songs to designing JR
JR’s stage show. “Dan is the most relaxed person that I’ve ever
met,” says Josh, “he’s really nice, really caring, and he
doesn’t take much personally and he doesn’t let much get him down.
I’m the opposite. I’m high strung, over-analytical sometimes.”
The balance of personalities is what helps helm their left-of-center
sound into accessible pop.
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12/06/2020 Last update