JJ & The Mood’s New Single “Whatcha Need” is the Therapy Dance Music We All Need - 6 October 2023

JJ & The Mood releases their single “Whatcha Need,” available October 6th on Digital Formats via Trailing Twelve Records.

JJ & The Mood return with their long-awaited single “Whatcha Need.” The alt-disco duo consists of Cincinnati-based multi-hyphenate cartoonist Jack Sjogren and songwriter & producer Joey Joesph. Driven by a shared desire to create big-sounding music JJ & The Mood delivers “therapy dance music” that is “not self-serious but serious about being yourself.”

After the release of their debut single “How Many Times” JJ & The Mood, revisits their disco, new wave roots while also maintaining their positive, light-hearted, and uplifting messaging. The duo is no stranger to grabbing an audience’s attention. Sjogren, known for his work as a cartoonist, author, and animator, has been lauded by Oprah's Book Club (Things I’d Do), Bustle, Real Simple, and celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Joesph fka Joey Cook, known as one of the founding members of the late aughts indie-pop band Pomegranates, has been self-producing records via their home studio, The Eyebrow Palace, since 2014. Sjogren and Joesph originally met in Orlando, Florida but it wasn’t until years later, during an autumn 2019 session at The Eyebrow Palace, that they started laying the groundwork for what would become JJ & The Mood.

“Whatcha Need” embodies attributes any therapist can subscribe to: “radical self-care and the freedom, power, and joy that comes with owning it.” Sjogren switches between speaking and singing, preaching to his dancing audience without taking himself too seriously. This sense of lightness can be felt in the earliest vocal moments of the song, as Sjogren speak-sings “Water the root, enjoy the fruit, now go on, shake that sweet caboose.”  

The driving bass underneath Sjogren’s spoken vocals reminiscent of Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem, lays the foundation for the song’s affirming messaging of self-care. “Whatcha Need” acts as a listener’s daily affirmation with Sjogren leading as equal parts preacher and disco DJ. The duo describes “Whatcha Need” as a song “about letting go of the unhelpful ways to try and protect ourselves and embracing our deepest truths.”

The unassuming groove grows from a grounding bass line with a four-on-the-floor kick into an instrumental dance break accompanied by background vocals reminiscent of a gospel choir. A vibrant saxophone solo pushes the instrumentation into the final breakdown of the song. Ultimately, “Whatcha Need” allows the listener to ponder what they need in order to find the power and freedom on their journey to radical self-care as Sjogren closes the song with wise words: “You get when you ask / It’s all we can do / For me, for you.”

“Whatcha Need” is out October 6th via Trailing Twelve. 

Written and Recorded by Joey Joesph and Jack Sjogren, Trailing Twelve (ASCAP)
Performed By JJ & The Mood, Trailing Twelve (ASCAP) 

Photos by Devyn Glista

Artwork by Jack Sjogren

TTRS-062
© & ℗ 2023 Trailing Twelve Records. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized Copying, Reproduction, Hiring, Lending, Public Performance, And Broadcasting Strictly Prohibited.

JJ & The Mood - Whatcha Need
TTRS-062
Released 06 October 2023
Length: 05:00

Socials:
http://instagram.com/jjandthemood/
https://www.instagram.com/sjogrenjack/
https://www.instagram.com/joesph_sounds/

BIO

JJ & The Mood is a disco-pop duo comprised of Cincinnati-based multi-hyphenate cartoonist Jack Sjogren and songwriter & producer Joey Joesph.

Drawing from musical influences spanning Talking Heads, ESG, and Liquid Liquid, the duo’s palette features varying shades of soul, disco, indie pop, and gospel - cohesively held together by Sjogren’s playful vocal energy and Joesph’s warm and spirited production. Performing their debut show at Los Angeles’s legendary Lodge Room, the duo has garnered support from KCRW (as Today’s Top Tune), Mystic Sons, Rocktails, and more.

Sjogren and Joesph originally met in Orlando, Florida but it wasn’t until years later, during an autumn 2019 session at The Eyebrow Palace, that they started laying the groundwork for what would become JJ & The Mood.

PRESS & FEATURES

"Channeling the diverse post-punk sound of LCD Soundsystem, 'How Many Times' sees them return with a wonderfully insatiable groove. Filled with smooth rhythms, killer hooks, and an enticing sound throughout, this new release will have you tapping your toes from start to finish.” —Mystic Sons

“JJ and the Mood, I gotta tell you, just listening to him and his energy, that’s gotta be something to witness live.” — Anthony Valadez, KCRW (Morning Becomes Eclectic)

JJ’s How Many Times was KCRW’s Top Tune of the Day on June 3rd, 2022.

“You know that feeling you get after finding out some good news; or when you find $20 in an old jacket you haven’t worn in a while? That moment when you are like “yes,” and the universe just seems to be on your side. That’s the feeling you get when you listen to the new single from indie-pop disco cowboys, JJ & The Mood.” —The New LoFi

“Drawing from musical influences spanning Talking Heads, ESG, and Liquid Liquid, the duo’s palette features varying shades of soul, disco, indie pop, and gospel – cohesively held together by Sjogren’s playful vocal energy and Joesph’s warm and spirited production.” — Last Day Deaf