The press email for the Triangle singer-songwriter Anne-Claire‘s forthcoming single outlined some pretty big promises: a release with “major dancefloor implications” that summoned images of “Robyn, Roisin Murphy, La Roux, Christine and the Queens, Lykke Li, Yelle, [and] Little Boots.”

A high bar, for sure. 

But “Jean Jacket,” out on Suah Sounds—premiering today on the INDY, and dropping officially on February 5—delivers with kinetic, cathartic synthpop that traces the contours of a blurry late night memory filled with jean jackets, cigarettes, and illicit romance. You may even catch a smoky whiff of Springsteen, as as Anne-Claire croons, “Still not sure it was right / a secret kiss you didn’t fight / my jean jacket blazer, my heart was racing when the lights went out.” 

“Jean Jacket” was recorded at Ari Picker’s (Dante High) Goth Construction Studio earlier this year, and the release is also backed by a dark, glossy remix by producer Dante High (who, by the way, has a confirmed record dropping down the line, later this year). 

“In March 2020, before All Things Ended, I sent a crappy phone recording of my band playing this song to local legend Ari Picker asking him to produce it,” Anne-Claire writes in the song notes. “I listened to his record Dante High on repeat and knew that I wanted his vision to shape this song.”

The default when reflecting on any releases this year is to locate it in the larger context of the pandemic, but that default feels right, here, with the loose reverb of Anne-Claire repeating “I remember, I remember” against cinematic beat drops. While listening, I, too, was flooded with remembrances—dance floors, crushes, skate nights, the intoxicating infusion of possibility and a night that could go anywhere. It feels like a gift, right now, to have a song invoke these feelings so fully. 

You can listen to Anne-Claire’s other disco-flecked premieres with the INDY here. 

Follow Arts & Culture Editor Sarah Edwards on Twitter or send an email to sedwards@indyweek.com. 

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