Talking City 1994: “My Jennifer”

Osaka-based band Talking City 1994’s name explicitly references the ‘90s, but their music is rooted in a sound that’s ten years older. “My Jennifer” is a particularly pleasant piece of indie pop, with a buoyant chorus and an immediately catchy synth-line. The bright keyboards and lisp-y, heart-on-your-sleeve vocals recall early Primal Scream, with a dose of The Smiths and an extra side of twee. It’s the type of a song where repeat listens aren’t so much an option as a necessity, and humming along before your first listen ends is a given. The video (like others on their YouTube page) features the song set to Japanese television – in this case a marathon race – filmed by what appears to be a handheld Hi8 camera pointed at the screen. Whatever the meaning, the flood of images sticks with you and feels both quaint and optimistic alongside “My Jennifer”’s starry-eyed nostalgia.

For more on Talking City 1994, check out their Bandcamp and Soundcloud

Written by Nathan Reese