Jenny and Johnny- 'I'm Having Fun Now'

Haven't posted in far too long. Back-tracking, this is a review I did in December. Again, I really liked this, which is cool. One day I will find something I don't like! Anyway, this is my review of Jenny and Johnny...

Jenny and Johnny consists of indie-rock band ‘Rilo Kiley’ member, Jenny Lewis, and singer-songwriter Johnathon Rice. ‘Im Having Fun Now’ is their first musical outing together. All instruments, aside from drums on various tracks, are played by Jenny and Johnny themselves.

Album opener ‘Scissor Runner,’ immediately showcases the duo’s beautiful harmonising vocals. Both have softness, mixing well with the underlying instrumentals. Moving effortlessly onto ‘My Pet Snakes,’ the catchy melody grabs your attention and you can’t help but ‘bop’ along. With layered vocals and lyrics like “God it makes me queasy when you smile,” this song is surely be on the road to being a hit.

‘Big Wave,’ the first single released from the album, hosts haunting vocals from Jenny, who sings predominantly in this track. It’s obvious why this was chosen as their first single, as we can feel the sincerity in Jenny’s vocals, with lyrics such as “my blues, they won’t go away.” It’s also easy to imagine this being a crowd sing-a-long favourite, with the hook being “big wave, do do do.”

There are numerous gems on this album, such as ‘Animal,’- honing lyrics like “we must rearrange reality”- and more upbeat tracks, such as “Just Like Zeus,” to name a few. The latter brings some fun to the album, sounding like a track that could be played during summer on a beach. The track also gives us a very brief to hear Jenny and Johnny singing without melody behind them, which proves to be unmistakenly beautiful.

The album ends with ‘Committed,’ a rockier edge to finish the album. This brings out the hidden darkness in the album, with Johnny singing “I need to be locked away.” All in all, this first album from the duo is a real success, and they are a band to watch.

4/5