Each year, countless artists share their attempt to cash in on the yule-tide subterfuge of consumerism by pumping out their iteration of a Christmas future-classic. They're all underpinned by a theme of positivity, which naturally leaves an antithesis of negativity for artists like Paris-based Jazzboy to frolic freely in the wide-open space. We first caught wind of the inspired auteur in early 2018, being ensnared by his "weird and wonderful" "Harlem", and rest assured, he's not any less weird.
The against-the-grain mentality doesn't stop there, "Xmas Will Never Happen Again" releases during the post-Christmas fatigue before the New Year kicks in, which opens up a storyline rarely explored; maintaining the narrative beyond the 25th. Jazzboy's music and visuals are often compared to 80's cinema, and this comparison reigns true here too, with dutifully dated visuals and out-place-in-time synth work, all delivered with a mystical dark pop edge.
The release is shrouded in metaphor, with Jazzboy stating via email “The changes I’ve been through in my personal life over the last year got me feeling like a child whose fairy-world has collapsed in front of their very eyes,” leading onto speak on the lurid visual, stating that his personal circumstances were akin to “a kid witnessing a dead Santa Claus in bloodstained snow. Something graphic, violent and irrevocable.”
Also part of French-trio Las Aves, and helping curate art spaces across New York and Paris’ underground scenes, it's clear that Jazzboy is consistently inspired, and we're keen to see what's next.
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