Haunting all the way from the seventies Laurel Canyon hideaway that she evokes, femme-fatale Jesse Jo Stark prefers her gloom in the sunlight on her new song “Deadly Doll.” Crawling out from under lush reverb and the hot desert twangs of guitar strings, Stark’s powerful croons tear longingly at her grim atmospherics. Produced by Jason Lytle (Band of Horses) and co-written with Chris Garcia (Lana Del Rey, Demi Lovato), “Deadly Doll” is the end of summer, solar eclipse anthem you never thought you needed. Stark might take plenty of cues from other melancholia-dipped singers but you’d be hard pressed to not find her piercing croon as feverishly affecting. With the breathy resonance of her heated croons, “Deadly Doll” doesn’t solely relish in its somber familiarity or anthem-readiness but instead smolders eerily with its enveloping lyricisms and cinematic ballad-growths. Close your eyes and it isn’t hard to imagine Stark’s ghostly wails in the trailer for the next Universal monster movie reboot.
“At the time, I felt like ‘Deadly Doll’ was my alter ego. It still is, depending on my mood. Lyrically, you can interpret it many different ways,” Stark says of the song. “I love combining these spooky elements and soft, eerie country tones into a beautiful anthem. The song got me through a tough time. I hope it does the same for listeners.”
Listen to “Deadly Doll” below!
Jesse Jo Stark will be performing a Monday night residency this month at the Echo on September 18 and 25. Visit her website and Facebook to stay updated on future releases and tour announcements.
Echo residency lineup
September 18
The Pink Slips https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fkWlAAWpesLkdp4Cj88Ra
Jesse Jo Stark https://open.spotify.com/artist/1VmIiQ7VHrqHg90igSWrB
Laura Jean https://soundcloud.com/nickbobetsky/sets/lja-mixes-getting-closer/s-krrRr
Dr.Doctor (special unplugged set) https://soundcloud.com/drdoctormusic/turbulence-final/s-99P7V
September 25
Night Talks https://open.spotify.com/artist/2AtastUSfbudzZmPKQTsvz
Jesse Jo Stark https://open.spotify.com/artist/1VmIiQ7VHrqHg90igSWrB0
Leeroy from the North https://www.leroyfromthenorth.com/listenleroyfromthenorth
