After collabs with Jelani Blackman, EDX and Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges, Jess Ball is now building a burgeoning reputation as an artist in her own right after the recent ‘Roundabouts’ and last year’s ‘Where You Go’ EP. Now the rising Australian extends that progress with the new single ‘Kiddin’’. Listen HERE.
The caustic, confrontational percussion that opens ‘Kiddin’’ immediately commands your attention, a sonic metaphor to how OCD is instantly all-encompassing. From there it becomes a sweet but oddly off-kilter alt-pop moment, with the beauty and purity of Jess’s vocal an enticing earworm while a piano melody weaved around the hook is both engaging and unsettling. Her lyrics hone in on the inner conflict that OCD brings – the awareness that your compulsions aren’t logical, but also the fear that comes with not acting on them.
Jess says, “‘Kiddin’’ is inspired by my personal experience living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Through the song, I wanted to capture the chaos and intensity OCD can bring to everyday life, while also challenging the common misconception that it’s simply about being neat or overly clean. Anyone who knows me knows I’m far from tidy — which is exactly why I wanted to explore a deeper and more honest side of the disorder. The track reflects the intrusive, all-consuming nature of OCD and how quickly it can escalate your thoughts and emotions from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds.”
As with ‘Roundabouts’, Jess wrote ‘‘Kiddin’’ with producer duo Antoni Polimeni and Richy Sebastian, also known as 1and2 Productions. Their previous credits include EDX, Tensnake, Curbi and NERVO.
Originally from Melbourne, Jess Ball launched into the public consciousness with a Beatport Future House #1 and a wave of North American airplay as the topliner of EDX’s ‘I Found You (Neptune)’. She soon became an in-demand collaborator across Australia’selectronica and house scenes, and again teamed up with EDX for ‘Take Me Home’.
She subsequently turned her focus to her solo career. Inspired by a broad spectrum of artists – including Cigarettes After Sex, Lily Allen,Olivia Dean, AJ Tracey, Massive Attack, Turnstile and The Cure – she finds a cohesiveness in a diverse array of influences where alt-pop, trip-hop, the singer-songwriter tradition and her previous background all play a part in her sound without dominating it. That diversity extends to her lyricism too, with the self-confessed introverted extrovert making public the issues which dominate her inner dialogue.