JODY AND THE JERMS release their new single: “Heavenly”.

True to its title, it’s a track of divine indie-pop that finds the Oxford-via-Wales band harking back to the genre’s golden era.

For a track written in hell-on-earth (i.e. a traffic jam going over Henley Bridge as the band made their way to the studio one day), “Heavenly” defies all expectations with its saintly vocals, shimmering guitars and sunkissed melodies.

A bittersweet love song that will play a serenade on your heart strings, “Heavenly” is all “about the perils of falling for someone head-over-heels and how that plays out” says Jody.

Written and recorded on the same day in October of last year, the song is a beam of warmly fuzzy guitar pop laced with all the promises of new romance and new beginnings around the corner, yet spun with the reclusive cautiousness familiar to any indie kid finding their way.

Earning a dedicated fan in the late broadcaster Janice Long, the new single was aired for the very first time when Jody & The Jerms were invited into what would be the DJ’s last ever live session on 20th December 2021, shortly before her passing.

“Heavenly” is the lead single and opening track of Jody & The Jerms’ upcoming second album, ‘Flicker’ which they also announce today. Confirmed for release on 4th March 2022 via their own JATJ imprint, ‘Flicker’ arrives less than 18 months after the surprise hit of their lockdown-released debut ‘Deeper’ (released Autumn 2020).

Like resurfacing a lost reel of Super-8 from days long forgotten, ‘Flicker’ is as warmly nostalgic as it is endearingly pure. Nestling neatly somewhere between the pristine catalogues of Blondie, The Bangles and The Darling Buds, the Jerms deliver 13 fuzz-driven, love-lorn jangle-pop gems of the most classic kind.

Songs of lost-loves and first-loves, escapism and outsiderdom are spun with a sanguine innocence and vivid relatability; Jody’s sweet-natured vocal perfectly paired with the dynamic musical arrangements of the Jerms.

From the dizzying rush of “Spinning” and its surreptitious key changes, to the tick/tock tensity of the heart-palpitating “Sensation”, the ambitious ‘Out of Time’-era R.E.M. anthemia of Jody/Niall duet “Forever Running”, through to the tender Kirsty MacColl-tinted piano balladry of the closer “High Times”; on ‘Flicker’ the Jerms flit through styles and influences with a nimble elegance and agile ability. Recorded at Safehouse Studios in St Clements Oxford, ‘Flicker’ was mastered at Swift Mastering, with additional mixing by the band’s Peter James Millson.

The result is a suite of jangle-pop songs to rival the best. As endlessly repeatable as they are evocatively relatable, Jody & The Jerms will release ‘Flicker’ on 4th March 2022, via JATJ Records. Available digitally, plus on CD and vinyl, the physical editions will also feature bonus tracks: “Since Yesterday” and “Shiver” (Janice Long Session Version).

In support of the release, Jody & The Jerms will also be heading-out on a tour of the UK and Spain in the Spring and Summer of 2022. Full dates and details are as follows, with more dates to be added soon:

JODY AND THE JERMS - FLICKER TOUR, 2022
April 16 - The Gate, Cardiff. Wales Goes Pop!
May 16-22 IPO Festival Cavern Club, Liverpool. Dates tbc
June 14 - York Vaults
June 15 - O'Reilly's Hull
June 16 - Bullingdon, Oxford
June 17 - Festival | The Beacon Festival | Watlington
July 2 - WeirFest, Somerset

Tickets on sale now here - https://jodyandthejerms.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodyandthejerms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodyandthejerms/
Website: https://jodyandthejerms.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-727099785
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3OpdHr4yd6dWoUbrdHCbaV
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdNErJj9w2V3-1FXdkRGRw
Or please contact: thom@sonicpr.co.uk

BIOGRAPHY
Jody And The Jerms are a sextet currently based in Oxford and formed in 2019. Founded by former members of The Anydays (who notably supported Radiohead and Supergrass in the 90s), the band are fronted by the singular Jody, who remarkably until last year had never sung in front of anyone. Finding her calling and an instant chemistry with the vintage-flecked indie of the Jerms, within a matter of weeks of their formation, grand plans of original material and tours soon began to form with a natural ease. “Jody had never sung before but I roped her into trying a song in the studio on the premise that I would do it if she didn't” jokes Niall, “fortunately for everyone's ears it worked out.”

Playing just one gig before the pandemic took hold, lockdown may have quickly scuppered Jody and the Jerms’ touring plans, but it would ultimately prove to be a major catalyst in accelerating their studio dreams.

Using the time to record a full album’s worth of tracks and secure a vinyl distribution deal, the band pressed on to release their warmly received debut album ‘Deeper’ in September. Earning radio support from BBC 6 Music, Radio X (UK), BBC Introducing, Sirius XM (USA), RTVE (Spain), BBC Wales and BBC Ulster, plus favourable reviews across the UK with XS Noize hailing their “seemingly effortlessness melodies and choruses which embed themselves in your head for days”. The Jerms even proved to be a surprise hit with a Spanish audience, earning support from various national media and the wider public there.

Before 2020 was out, the Jerms welcomed acclaimed singer/songwriter Peter James Millson as full-time member. Releasing their first material as a six-piece, AA-side single “Belong” // “Since Yesterday” (a cover by Strawberry Switchblade) in November, the tracks exuded the confidence of a band in evolution with all the promises of a new year on the horizon.

Unveiling a string of one-off singles in the interim year (including the playful power-pop of “Get Me Out”), Jody & The Jerms now prepare for a bright 2022 with the release of their swiftly-delivered second album ‘Flicker’, plus a a full tour of the UK, Spain, and multiple festival fixtures. Watch Jody & The Jerms go viral in 2022…

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PRAISE FOR JODY AND THE JERMS

'Spinning – an effervescent sugar-rush of a song, all giddy fuzz and jangle and singer Jody Jeger’s almost childlike sing-song voice, somewhere between Kirsty MacColl and Amelia Fletcher" - Nightshift Magazine

"It’s almost like power pop, a bit Bangles... or jangle pop. Lovely." - Radcliffe & Maconie, BBC 6 MUSIC

"Jody had to be coerced into singing, and she does it really well. It's good isn't it!" - Janice Long - BBC Wales