Portland, Oregon-based producer, recording engineer, and songwriter Jessica Boudreaux has released her album, The Faster I Run, a 12-track collection of indie rock.
Known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist for the band Summer Cannibals, after the band disbanded in 2023, Boudreaux was not planning on going solo. Instead, she spent time in the studio writing songs for television and film, including Netflix’s Oscar-nominated Nimona and Apple TV’s City on Fire. She eventually built her own studio, Pet Club, along with a small house for bands to stay in while she produced their records.
During the summer of 2023, Boudreaux went on a weeklong whitewater rafting trip with fellow cancer survivors. After the trip, Boudreaux found herself experiencing “renewed excitement about life and expression. There was a fire under my ass, and then I kind of accidentally wrote an album.”
Entry points on The Faster I Run include the opening track “Back Then,” an alt-rock tune with slightly dirty, potent guitars pumping out hints of emo flavours, a well-shaped melody, and the unique, evocative vocals of Boudreaux, vaguely reminiscent of Alanis Morissette, only more rounded and melodic.
“Doctor” summons up suggestions of the alt-rock of Liz Phair, highlighted by a chop-stick-like piano and raw, muddy guitars. This track has a delicious, unpolished quality, a bit rough and loose, that gives it an authentic sensibility. Boudreaux’s vocals reveal a dreamy edginess that comes across like an intimate conversation.
Merging hints of pop and new wave textures, “Exactly Where You Wanna Be” offers tints of optimism riding a tight, crisp rhythm. Rolling out on low-slung, throbbing tones, “Suffering” ramps up to a mid-tempo alt-rock rhythm topped by Boudreaux’s angsty vocals, harking back to the ‘90s. A controlled guitar solo infuses the tune with luscious, ringing tones.
There’s a country-swing wave running through “Put Me On,” along with echoing guitar colours, glowing harmonies, and Boudreaux’s creamy, nuanced vocals. A personal favourite because of its crunchy alt-rock flavours, “Cut and Run” ebbs and rises on retro-laced surfaces of alt-rock as Boudreaux employs her marvellous voice as a subtle sonic sword, at times flowing like silk, at other times carving.
Another favourite because of its resounding resonance and drifting motion, “Something In My Gut” allows Boudreaux to show off her gorgeously textured voice. Visceral, grimy guitars and superb alt-rock arrangements make Jessica Boudreaux’s The Faster I Run one of the Top 10 albums of the year.
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