EP Review: “i didn’t ask for this” - JØRDYN
On May 10th, the indie singer-songwriter JØRDYN released their debut EP, i didn’t ask for this.
With 5 tracks about the realities of loss and displacement, JØRDYN manages to create a unique blend between truthful lyricism and her indie-alt sound.
The EP was announced on April 17th, and JØRDYN shared the track list on May 1st:
Though, one song was already expected to be on the EP: Clean. This track was released as a single back on January 2nd, marking the start of JØRDYN’s newest era of music:
We spoke to JØRDYN in depth about i didn’t ask for this, which you can read in her Artist Interview on VoiceNoted. We highly recommend that you read this first, before hearing our thoughts on it…
EP Review
The opening track of i didn’t ask for this is aptly called Intro. For 56 seconds, we hear overlapping voice recordings of JØRDYN and her loved ones talking about the EP, giving us a unique glimpse into the writing process. Chords swell gently behind the voices, perfectly introducing the second track: Clean.
Clean opens with JØRDYN singing: “We’re too old to buy each other gifts now / It’s not our parents money anymore / And we just can’t swing it.” They are an excellent storyteller, and one of our favourite lines in the song is “I’m getting used to the shaking / An uncommon symptom of lying and waiting”, describing a kind of withdrawal.
In Clean, JØRDYN comes to the realisation that she “won’t grow old together” with the person the song’s about since they’re “bad for [their] health”. Our favourite line is: “We’re too old to be so young / All I gave was not enough”. It describes so well the feeling of growing apart from someone, and knowing that you have to leave in order to heal from the pain they caused you.
The bridge is where JØRDYN’s songwriting abilities shine, delving deeper into the emotional core of the song:
“Maybe I’ve lost you / Maybe you won / Maybe the damage is done / Maybe I miss you / Maybe I’m sad / That you’ve made me question this life I had.”
We love this song, and think that it’s a great addition to the EP. It introduces the key themes of growing out of childhood relationships and recovering from painful pasts, holding onto a kind of melancholy hope for the future.
The third track, Joy With an I, is the most upbeat of i didn’t ask for this. JØRDYN told us in their Artist Interview that this song was written about a popular girl from school who she envied, but knew whose life wasn’t perfect.
“I am in awe of you / I wish you could see you from a third person view / I bet teardrops are sweet when they fall from your eyes / I’d sit for hours just to watch you smile!”
JØRDYN sings with a mixture of awe and envy about the girl she doesn’t know:
“Oh my love can you tell me how / Tell me how you do it / Oh my joy can you let me know / Why I can’t be like you.”
Feeling a sense of kinship, she can see that the girl “fake[s] a smile”, and wants to understand why. The last line is JØRDYN’s favourite, which they called a 'gut-punch’ lyric:
“I wonder what’s happening inside of her head cause how can someone so beautiful be so sad.”
The fourth track is Jurnee, a song which was written about JØRDYN’s little sister. They talked about it in more detail during their Artist Interview, if you’d like to read that first.
The voice recordings return in this track, opening with a melancholic string melody. Once again, JØRDYN sets the scene in listener’s minds:
“A bright red door on willow way / That cracked sidewalk where we rode our bikes everyday / That empty side of the bed / That he couldn’t sleep in”
The lyrics paint such a delicate picture of pain through the eyes of childhood, and of being an older sibling:
“I held you tight as best I can / As long as I could / But you outgrew my arms / I always knew you would”
In this heartfelt song, JØRDYN marvels at the resilience of her little sister all the while mourning the childhood that they both lost to grief.
Joy With an I is by far the most vulnerable track on the EP, and listening to it is much like reading JØRDYN’s diary.
The EP closes with it’s title track, i didn’t ask for this. The opening instrumentals are harmonious and sweet, reminding us of artists like Bon Iver and Searows.
This song was written during a time when JØRDYN had to leave, but didn’t know how to. To help process it, she wrote it into a song:
“My heart don’t belong here, it’s miles away / Didn’t ask for the distance but I long for the space / And I don’t remember when my mind started to change / In another life I’d stay in this place”
JØRDYN sings “I didn’t ask for this” as they’re asked by someone to stay, calling the plea a “Eulogy for memories that we never even made”. This an insanely beautiful lyric, and one of the best on the EP.
The song is also filled with symbolism, talking of “Holding on to bridges that burned too long / And all of the ashes [that] kept my tears in place”, every word of which JØRDYN sings with visceral emotion.
The outro of i didn’t ask for this repeats the line “I didn’t ask for this, I never wanted this” over and over, building to an emotional crescendo as they belt the final line, shifting the tone to one of desperation and escape. As listeners, we’re left with a sense of open-ended closure, satisfied yet wondering what might happen next. In summary, this is by far JØRDYN’s best song yet.
As an artist, JØRDYN has a completely unique and experimental sound. Though, their soft voice and careful lyricism are reminiscent of artists like Dodie and Phoebe Bridgers.
You can tell that a lot of care went into crafting i didn’t ask for this, and that’s what makes it such a strong debut EP. It takes a lot of talent to balance as JØRDYN does between lyrical sincerity and stylish production.
Overall, i didn’t ask for this is a great contribution to the indie alt genre, and we can’t wait to see where JØRDYN’s music takes them next!
For now, check out the EP on Spotify if you haven’t already:
And remember to listen to JØRDYN on this month’s ‘Top Picks’ playlist!
