The circumstances that led to New York City’s-own January Jane being signed to a major label record deal, and also getting the stamp of approval from veteran music guru Matt Pinfield are quite unique. In the interview I conducted with vocalist Pat Via, guitarist Mitch Mitchell, and Pinfield, they described the path that led them to each other, and their bond continues to be a major success story to this day. Their debut EP, Your Drug, is a solid blast of energetic pop rock built for instant radio success. The lead single, “Versions of You,” has already charted on the Adult Top 40 National Airplay Billboard barometer of popular music. Rounded out by keyboardist Peter Scalia, January Jane might just be the band that we need to get us through this dark period in history.
The record opens with “Addicted to the Night,” a song that feels like a night out in the New York City clubs, and is filled with great vocal courtesy of Via, crowd-pleasing synths from Scalia, and plenty of unique guitar riffs from the incredibly underrated Mitchell. The raucous opener is a good introduction to the sound that January Jane were going for on their debut, and as Pinfield stated in our interview, “The world needs upbeat music right now.” This band has plenty of uplifting tempos, lyrics, and overall mojo to keep even the most skeptical critics dancing along to every beat.
As great as their lead single “Versions of You” is, the second track called “NYC” may be the most quintessential song that the band has written to date that best describes what their sound is all about. The band wants you to feel something, and their invitation into their world is as uplifting as I’ve ever seen from a group ready to take the music world by storm. This song in particular feels like a blend between the Michael Jackson-esque production elements with just a twist of pop rock polish of early Maroon 5.
The title track is a great example of how Mitch Mitchell’s guitar playing has so many unique nuances to it and his ability to convey a wide range of emotions through his instrument is felt far and wide. The chorus demands to blasted from the rafters of a packed night club that January Jane seem to have no trouble filling to capacity as of late, due to the great reaction to their radio ready pop anthems. Throw in a brilliant, modern take on a Hall & Oates classic in “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” and January Jane have made one of my favorite debut records to come out in quite some time. I can only hope that new music is quickly on the horizon, because like Your Drug implies, it’s far too easy to get addicted to the sound that January Jane has comprised on this stellar EP.