Artist: Jess Harlen
Release: Neon Heartache Album
Label: Plethora Records
Release date: March 5th, 2010

Harnessing her lyrical introspection, distinctive songwriting and fusing it with renowned Mercury Prize winning producer Plutonic Lab, Jess Harlen reveals her remarkable debut album Neon Heartache. The record embarks upon unchartered territory of soul music, drawing on subtle hip hop beats, reggae rhythms and moments reminiscent of Motown. 

Described by Rave Magazine as “what real soul is meant to be – from the soul, not from the formula”, Neon Heartache’s lead off single, “Watch the Water” combines the grace of acoustic melodies with dynamic rhythm while effortlessly offering up picturesque ocean imagery. It is a beautiful contrast to the track “Diamond”, a crackling gritty bass-driven blues number backed by midnight reflection and heartbeat tempos.

The second single “I Go,” is the album's most ethereal moment. Against a backdrop of shimmering harmonics, Harlen’s earthly tones dance along a glistening undercurrent. The atmosphere is completed by Plutonic Lab’s sublime production touch, taking its acoustic beginnings to more galactic locations.
 
The breathtaking “Closing My Eyes”, is the album’s grand closing piece, a reflective number idling to a sparse downbeat that lifts to a heart-wrenching horn section. While reminiscent of old soul, it is a well-stated example of the chemistry created between the two.

Influenced by the likes of Otis Redding, Bill Withers and Roberta Flack, Jess Harlen’s years touring with roots giants Blue King Brown has seasoned her gifts with an undeniable vitality. Neon Heartache is about romantica found and lost- but a sentiment for all those around us- friends, family, and lovers. The burgeoning symbiotic producer-songwriter relationship of Plutonic Lab and Jess Harlen is paving the way for cross-genre success in Australia all while writing a chapter in it’s soul music legacy.