Adult Jazz is an English experimental rock band.
Adult Jazz | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Leeds, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Experimental rock, indie electronic |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Spare Thought, Tri Angle |
| Members |
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History
Adult Jazz was established in 2010 at the University of Leeds. Members Tim Slater, Harry Burgess and Steven Wells are all originally from Guildford.[1] In 2013, they released a 12" vinyl single;[2] In 2014 the band released their debut full-length album titled Gist Is on Spare Thought.[3][4][5] The album had a positive critical reception, with David Peschek, writing in The Quietus, positioning it "at the sharpest edge of the expression of queer experience in pop music" [6] The record caught the ear of other artists: cellist Oliver Coates covered the album's opener Hum;[7] Bjork attended a 2014 show in Reykjavik, later writing about the experience for Art in America magazine; Shabazz Palaces remixed their single Springful;[8] and the group were invited to play 2015's Meltdown festival at the Royal Festival Hall, curated by David Byrne.[9]
In 2016, Adult Jazz released a mini-album titled Earrings Off! on Tri Angle.[10][11][12] The record explored harsher digital textures and the critical reception was mixed. Music review website Drowned In Sound called it a "brave, intriguing release" [13] whereas YouTube critic Anthony Fantano called it "one of the most annoying things [he'd] heard all year".[14] The lead single, Earrings Off!, was remixed by Norwegian musician Jenny Hval. Later that year, the band worked with Okay Kaya on a double A-side single, featuring a cover of the Curtis Mayfield song Keep On Pushing.[15] In 2020, they worked with Moses Sumney and Oneohtrix Point Never on the track Cut Me from Sumney's album Græ, which was placed at number 12 in Pitchfork's best songs of 2020.[16]
In 2024, the band returned with Dusk Song, their first release in eight years,[17] followed by two more singles, Suffer One and Marquee, for an upcoming album. In April 2024, the band released their second full-length album So Sorry So Slow. The Clash's Nick Roseblade noted the albums slower pace, but praised the lyricism and subversive melodies, writing that the group remains "a powerhouse of skewed pop."[18] In a review for Bandcamp's "Album of the day" Ted Davis wrote "These songs swirl and jitter at random, hinting at a virtuosic collective consciousness. The unpredictability at the heart of the album elicits a warm, deja vu-like energy. It’s like the pleasant experience of a foggy teenage memory resurfacing out of the blue."[19]
Discography
Studio albums
- Gist Is (2014, Spare Thought)
- Earrings Off! (2016, Tri Angle)
- So Sorry So Slow (2024, Spare Thought)
EPs
- Am Gone/Springful (2014, Spare Thought)