I have been looking for a band that can bring some jazzier, more soulful vibes into my life and Jealous Tina really made my wish come true. The Bath based neo-soul 5 piece formed in 2018 and takes creative influences from the likes of Mahalia, Puma Blue, and Erykah Badu. Their debut EP “She Who Leaves Her Guard Down” is an amazing conglomeration of r&b, soul, jazz, and indie that honestly made me feel way better than I normally do on a Monday night. Their unique sound is carefully executed by the soulful vocals and sweet-sounding saxophone of front woman Rosie Patton, and accompanied by jazz infused keys and a punchy, groove soaked rhythm section. If they’re name isn’t enough to stop you in your tracks, their music certainly will.
Their EP starts out with Patton’s honey-coated vocals on “Kaleidoscope,” and sets up the listener for an easy-listening vibe. Their sound is familiar and unique at the same time and fill your head space with gentle sounds that make you feel like you’re sitting in a jazz club that also happens to be floating in the clouds. Especially in this time of isolation, their sound is incredibly comforting with its jazz and blues influences, and makes for a more interactive listening experience because it doesn’t sound like everything else we hear on the radio. Their lyrics also give them an edge like, “You’ve got me wrapped around your finger / Is that where I’m supposed to be?” in the second track, “Interim,” and “There must be more from me,” in their third track, “More For Me.”
Their later tracks in the EP start to gain momentum from vocal melodies that act in conversation to the instrumentals. In “New York,” they play with a lot of musical wit, dropping off chords here and there to make for sudden silence and following chord progressions that you might not expect. It’s music that isn’t so-called “easy listening,” because it requires more than a head nod from a listener. It’s almost as if their music is stringing us on saying, “dare to figure me out.” And trust me, I tried. But one sitting listening to their music was not enough. They finish out the EP with “Sweet Eyes,” whose fade in and out of ambient noise makes for a perfect close to their masterpiece, making you feel like you’ve just listened to a rehearsal space through a hole in the wall. If only you could go back just a couple of seconds to figure out that melody you just can’t get over. But wait… You can stream their debut EP “She Who Leaves Her Guard Down” on September 4th!
Written by: Misao McGregor
1) Hi Jealous Tina! Thanks for chatting with us:) How are things in Bath,UK right now with all the craziness that's going on in the world?
Hello, thank you so much for letting us get involved! It’s all ok for now fingers crossed, however as a band we are actually still pretty spread out over the country. We all met through studying in Bath so when the madness hit towards the end of the academic year, we sadly had to say goodbye to each other for a while! We’re very much looking forward to a big band reunion when it’s safe to do so - Josie and Rosie P are the only ones still currently in Bath! 2) How is the music scene in Bath? Bath is amazing for small quirky venues. As local bands/musicians we all tend to know each other either through the Uni or having shared live line ups, so it’s really great to be able to support each other and build up networks of such amazing music so close to home. We’re also really lucky to have Bristol on our doorstep - there’s always loads going on there! It’s a central hub for culture and music and all things creative, so particularly handy for us to be able to observe the emergence and development of the Neo Soul/Alternative R&B genre. 3) What was your inspiration behind this debut EP It stemmed from a whole range of places! In terms of our musical influences, we are always recommending new and inspiring music to each other, which is great for being able to get inside each others creative headspace and have a more rounded understanding of music and what it means to us as a whole. Outside the band, we are all involved in other projects alongside Tina, so in a weird way I think as individual musicians we draw a lot of inspiration from each other. 4) What is it that drew you to jazz in the first place? Jazz has presented itself to us all in different ways. For some of us it was the music we played when we were younger in small bands or groups at school, others purely stemming from listening to the greats of the past to influence what we make today. In whatever capacity, it combines together with elements of other genres such as R&B, Hip-Hop, Indie and Soul to create the tunes we make together as Jealous Tina. There’s just something about it as a super broad sphere of music with limitless possibilities and combinations of influences that makes it incredibly freeing to create within. 5) Favourite movie/tv show? I feel like there would definitely be a lot of conflicting opinions within the band for our favourite TV shows or one overall movie we could agree to watch at a band movie night! But at the moment I’d love to point people in the direction of an incredible Netflix documentary called ‘13th’ focusing on racial inequality in America. It’s an amazing starting point for education around the subject that everyone should watch to better their understanding of the situation. 6) Any advice for other young women in the music industry? Don’t let anyone or anything hold you back from your personal goals - you are just as capable as anybody else in this industry and you’ve got this! 7) Where is the best place for fans to follow you?
We’re on Spotify under 'Jealous Tina’, would love for people to follow the artist page in order to stay up to date with our new music. The best place to find us is over on Instagram @Jealous_Tina - we always love people coming and saying hello! Drop us a follow and buzz us a message saying you came from Indie Witches, we might just send you a lil EP sneaky peak…