JBNG hit their sonic and stylistic stride on their dynamic and diverse sophomore album Run — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Headed by singer Jaben John Groome, JBNG embrace indie rock in all its forms on these 10 tracks. Fusing melody and music with precision and propulsion, the B.C. quintet’s sound encompasses everything from hard rock, metal and grunge to pop, punk and much more. The single Barely Know You is a crunchy shoegaze ballad, for example, while Brutus is a politically tinged post-punk call to action, more spoken word set to music than song.
It’s all the brainchild of Groome, who grew up playing bass in bands and collaborated on a number of singles before forming JBNG, but never thought to take up the mic as a vocalist. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder earlier in life, however, Groome was always looking for ways to calm his anxiety when it hit. In 2023, he found there was something soothing in singing. “I learned it helps, switching the nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode,” he explains.
It turned out doing his own vocals was the key to the cohesive sound Groome was looking for in a project. Once he found his musical cohorts in Alejandro Yoshizawa (lead guitar), Jonathon Goldie (rhythm guitar), Tim Charman (bass) and Matt Koopman (drums), that sound has flowed forth from JBNG.
Said sound — introduced on their 2023 debut Meh and furthered on Run — is a true mix of many indie genres with a grunge edge. While Groome cites influences as diverse as Buddy Holly, Led Zepplin, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and Pixies, JBNG’s sound swings the pendulum even wider, with invoking everyone from Soundgarden and Urge Overkill all the way to Nick Cave, and everything between. Far from being limiting, Groome’s distinctive heavy, raspy vocal timbre has opened up a world of possibilities for the band, as it pairs with any style they can come up with and give it an edge that will draw all sorts of music lovers from all sorts of genres.
Listen to Run below, watch the video for Barely Know You above, and run with JBNG on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
