With vibrant guitars and a melodic hook guaranteed to stick in your head as any unrelenting dance hit should, the Ball’s newest single ‘Thank You’ send a not-so-subliminal message.
Six months after her debut solo single ‘Upside Down’, Melbourne singer-songwriter Jess Ball has delivered another lush, fun, hard-hitting slice of pop perfection, placing her in the ring as a promising indie-pop act in the making.
Titled ‘Thank You’, the new single sees the soon-to-be pop powerhouse deliver an honest, relatable and playful track that sees a boost to the Ball’s confidence, playing to her strengths and embracing what feels real and genuine.
Laced with sass, this hypnotic pop power ballad is lush and exuberant, capturing you right from the start with its heady rhythm, vibrant guitars, sweet melodies, dynamic honeyed vocals, and a super catchy chorus that’ll stay in your head for days.
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Thematically, ‘Thank You’ sees Ball grapple with feelings of wasted effort and irritation when a partner leaves you for another; that explosive moment when you can’t take it anymore and you’re about to – as the title suggests – lose it.
“‘Thank You’ explores the anger and annoyance that people often experience at the end of a relationship, despite what the title otherwise suggests,” explains Jess. “Though the song sings ‘thank you,’ it really means ‘screw you,’ giving the song a sarcastic tone throughout.
“Most people could probably think of a time where they haven’t been treated well, or have been stuffed around by someone, and this is a tribute to all of them. While some relationships serve you some good and teach you lessons worth learning, others are a complete waste of time.”
A relatable bop to anyone that’s had the pleasure of being in a bad relationship, Ball’s brilliantly sarcastic lyricism and intoxicating vocal melodies are here to remind us that in these moments deep down we know we deserve better.
‘Good luck for summer, it’s such a bummer that you got eyes where your heart should be. Pullin’ a runner, guess she’s a stunner, and she’s decided my fate for me,’ Ball sings. ‘Thank You! I should say, Thank You! ‘Cause I’m so grateful she saved me time. Thank You! No, really, thank you. I’m just so grateful you wasted time.’
With a clear knack for making the personal and the mundane seem universal and significant, Ball highlights a place we’ve all been, no matter how many different roads we took to get there.
Packed with anthemic lyrics listeners can apply to their own lives (‘I’m just so grateful you wasted my time’), ‘Thank You’ explores the plights of friends, family and strangers as a whole as much as it reflects on her own.
“There’s not a particular person that ‘Thank You’ is about, it’s more of a generalisation of the shitty relationships I’ve been in. Sometimes not even relationships, some of them were just weird flings you have before realizing they’re a bad person,” Ball says.
“A lot of my girlfriends and guyfriends have experienced the same thing where they’re seeing someone and they’re like really keen on them and then they just turn out to be an absolute asshole. I think that pretty relatable for most people.”
Reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo, and channelling a melting pot of indie-pop and indie-rock influences like the Jungle Giants and Spacey Jane as well as the energy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ball has been developing her pop-inspired style since the tender age of 11.
Despite spending much of her formative years overseas in pursuit of a modelling career, working for brands such as Trussardi and Gorman, music is ultimately where her passion lies and saw her return to Melbourne and hone in on her vocal talent.
“I hadn’t been singing for a while when I was modelling overseas, but it was what I loved to do.
“I had come back home to see my family and my singing teacher from school [Nicholas DeZilwa] called me and said he had friends that were looking for a female vocalist. I went to the studio and then met Tony and Richie, who are now my producer and manager. It was pretty cool actually, I’m so grateful.”
Connecting with 1&2 Productions and making her presence felt in the world of Pop / EDM thanks to fruitful collaborations with EDX, Curbi, NERVO, and Dash Berlin, Ball’s debut as a solo musician was spawned from the desire to make pop music.
“When I first started, working on EDM music was pretty much the main reason I went to the studio,” Ball says. “I was lucky enough to like get on songs with EDX and NERVO and that really gave me a platform to do my own stuff.
“I do love doing collaborations, but the main focus is my own releases now. But of course, if an opportunity pops up, I’m very happy to contribute to some more EDM tracks.”
Enjoying a watershed two years, Ball is heading to Geelong in the new year to ignite audiences with her energetic brand of indie-pop. Taking to the Barwon Club on Friday, January 7, Ball and her live band will take punters on a one-hour journey with some of her chart-topping collabs and some never before heard material that will be hitting the waves in 2022.
“This will be a performance with a live band, so it will be more of that pop-rock vibe. We’re really excited, expect lots of energy and lots of fun.”
With support on the night from Daisy Kilbourne and Riordan, this promises to be a vibrant showcase of some of the region’s best up and coming female talent.
Cementing herself as a frontrunner in the Australian indie-pop scene, thanks to her honest, relatable and playful tracks, consider seeing Jess Ball in a live setting a must-see experience this January.
Jess Ball will take to the Barwon Club on January 7 2022. You can purchase tickets here.
In the meantime, check out her tracks here.
