As their latest album, Love Descends, drops, I caught up with Niall and Jody from Jody and the Jerms to find out more about them, the music, and what the future holds.
Can we start with a bit of musical background? How did you get into music, and what paths have brought you to JATJ and the place you find yourselves today?
Niall: I taught myself guitar at the age of 13 in Texas, where I grew up, and given the various cliques of my friends, played and listened to a lot of hair rock, heavy rock, punk rock, yacht rock, or country. Then we moved back to the UK and I discovered The Smiths, which changed everything, and I’ve been in bands ever since. I’d not written much music in all that time, really, until the Jerms, and needed Jody to push me to write songs rather than just riffs.
Jody: As a teenager, I bought every 7-inch single I could from the likes of the Stone Roses, Wonder Stuff, Sam Brown, Kirsty MacColl, along with every Cure album. So I grew up constantly listening to great music. I sang in Bugsy Malone at the Watermill Theatre as a 12-year-old. And then didn’t sing again in public until we unexpectedly formed the Jerms in 2019. I’ve really enjoyed writing lyrics, and these words have definitely provided an enjoyable and creative outlet I didn’t have pre-Jerms.
Let’s talk influences. I hear a lot of what the journalists call “blonde pop” in your sound – bands such as The Darling Buds and The Primitives? Is that fair, and what, perhaps less obvious inspirations help make the music?
Jody: They are great references we get a lot, and yes, I am blonde, and Niall likes to think he’s blonde – he’s not. However, we have only really listened to the Buds or The Primitives loads since we got the Jerms going, and now love their songs. We played with the Buds in Cardiff in 2022, and they were great. But we never set out to play in that style or look that way.
Niall: Short, sharp songs, deep and well-crafted lyrics, and different moods and styles that hopefully all come together in one great album. We’ve definitely improved musically, too, since our little journey started back in 2019, and that is evident on the record.
Jody: Hopefully, it’s a series of songs that bring joy and happiness to those who hear it. Many hours of writing, re-writing, and soul-bearing have gone into it, so it’s something we are very proud of.
Pop music is a broad church —are you happy to have your music referred to as pop, and if so, what makes it stand out from the pack in that world?
Jody: Definitely. Pop equals popular, which means loads of people buying Love Descends right? Ha ha – if only that was true.
Niall: Pop is cool – we definitely don’t see ourselves as rock or indie, and like to think we fit broadly across a bunch of genres – which is probably a reflection of our different tastes and styles. At the end of the day, it’s fun, which I guess falls into that pop bucket.
You had some great names working with you on this, Erica Nockalls and Mark Gardener, to name but two. What were they like to work with, and who else should get mentioned in dispatches?
Jody: We loved working with Mark. He definitely got the best out of me as a singer and helped us evolve. I loved singing with him when he performed with us at a show in 2024. We did “How Does It Feel To Feel” together, and it felt great!
Niall: Recording with Mark was really good, not least as he has excellent taste in guitars. We were delighted that Erica played on the record. “Winter Heart” had a massive hole in it for an instrumental and needed something very special, which she kindly obliged with that violin solo that is very classy.
Are there any shows lined up to promote this album? If so, where are you looking forward to gigging?
Jody: We’ve been staying close to home around the album launch with a show in Oxford, but we will take the show on the road around the UK in March.
Just in general, the Oxford music scene has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years. What is it like to be a band in that fine town now?
Niall: It’s buzzing. There is a real mix of styles and personalities, and they all complement each other in so many ways. Despite some key venues closing and the pain being felt across the grassroots venues and the people who work so hard to support them, there is some excellent art and music being created. We’ve played with some excellent Oxford bands this year. Hoof, bedd, The HorMones, PetTwin, August List, Beaker, and many others bring a lot to the party
And finally, what does the future hold in store for you, and what ambitions do you have for the band going forward?
Jody: We have been doing this for 6 years now. As long as we are having fun, being creative, and improving as a band and people, we’ll keep striving, writing, recording, and performing.
Thank you both for taking the time to talk to me, and best of luck with the album release and everything else you are doing.
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