Um, Jenifer? - Old Grimes
by Kay Bien
Mold Limes
Stumbling upon Um, Jenifer? was nothing short of a revelation for me. Forty seconds into Old Grimes, I faced a hard truth. I had not been excited about new music since I started Estrogen. Music had been so tied into my personality, my life, my everything, but nothing new was clicking with me. I took comfort in a few outstanding records from artists I loved - that Kim Deal record was my everything - but nothing reconfigured my brain. This track unlocked some joy I desperately needed.
Old Grimes sets two musical indie-rock endpoints between its intro and chorus, delivering everything in between. The brooding art noise of the initial half minute declares "too much Ari Aster" before masterfully pivoting to an infectious indie-pop chorus that changes the altitude before dropping us where we started. The song transitions to a noisy climax with "Jennifer's Dungeon," the next song on the record. By the end of these two tracks, it's clear that there is something deeper at play here than just irreverence.
The irrelevance is excellent, though. They tell the press that the band's name is a reference to an elder God they found in their apartment, named Jenifer. Featured in the video. In the lead-up to their new single, they posted videos that they were transitioning to famous. This was the third time I fell in love with them. Every song has a video that screams both DIY and Art Kids, causing trouble.
It makes me happy that young New Yorkers are making this kind of complete-package noise-art-rock. It makes me even happier that they are not just unapologetically trans, they are fucking weird.
Um, Jenifer also does the theme for Going Down with Ella Yurman, an excellent queer political news show.
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