Jordan continues their fine form on Watch Out!
There seems to be, or it feels as if there is, a degree of cognitive dissonance in reviewing this EP when the live scene, though slowly returning, is almost entirely absent. What would’ve been populating clubs and sweaty venues is temporarily restricted to headphone destroying or living room floor-filling militancy. So, while Watch Out! can be your private party, you know that its contents cannot possibly come to full fruition just yet.
But take nothing away from India Jordan and their effort. Watch Out! is, for a five-track collection, a generous twenty-eight minutes of unrelenting pulse and focus, lovingly pieced together and constructed to hold a euphoric promise for the future.
Where their glorious debut EP For You took a more eclectic and experimental approach, Watch Out! sees Jordan embrace a mesmerising pace and power, personified by the opening track and single ‘Only Said Enough’. A repeated assault of brash percussive industrialism welcomes you to Jordan’s world and remains a delightfully present force throughout the track, and Watch Out altogether.
‘Feierabend’, one of the more outlandish and daring of the quintet, is an astonishing feat. Though starting as a deceptively traditional beat, a distinct, intangible riff takes centre stage, and, when in full flow, you wish the track could last a lifetime. It’s one of the most compelling creations of Jordan’s discography and will undoubtedly command total adoration in its natural, live habitat.
Diverse sonic avenues are also explored in the lengthily tilted ‘You Can’t Expect The Cars To Stop If You Haven’t Pressed The Button’, bringing together Jordan’s signature grooves with manipulated field recordings of traffic. It combines excellently, calling into attention a vast array of fresh, unique sounds. Meanwhile, ‘And Groove’ carries a quintessentially 90s-influenced hedonism, with touches of trance contributing to a defiantly exuberant rhythm.
This is what characterises Watch Out! best – a devotion to delivering cathartic and consistently uplifting tunes that defy a sense of worldly pessimism or fear. With the decade finally flowering into life, Watch Out! and, most importantly, India Jordan, are the vibrant introduction of what the coming years hold.
The Colour of Spring 