Jay Som at DC9 4/1/17 Concert Review
On April Fool’s Day, I had the privilege of attending a sold out show at DC9. No joke, seeing Jay Som was a spiritual experience. Twenty-three year-old Melina Duterte has perfected her craft, and it shows. The set list highlighted tracks off of her most recent album, Everybody Works. The album came out last month and is Duterte’s debut record with Polyvinyl. She has certainly grown since releasing her album Turn Into a year ago.
Jay Som first caught my eye about a year ago and it has been so rewarding to follow her transformation. What makes it even more special is Duterte’s ability to maintain the bedroom pop quality from her 2012 bandcamp singles in the new material. Turn Into reworks previous Jay Som to evoke vocals from The Cardigans, Mitski lyricism, and even the Seinfeld intro bassline (I say this in the best way). It’s more pop, more fun, and no longer drowning in lo-fi fuzz.
Opening act, Little Junior, also put on an incredible performance. They’re a Canadian band that makes pop-punk more palatable and relevant.
Written by No Boys Allowed DJ Ava Mirzadegan
