Jockstrap are not your conventional electro-pop duo. They have a penchant for sonic exploration that others do not. Georgia Ellery, who’s the songwriter, and Taylor Skye, the producer, met at London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama and their music is a collision of Ellery’s lyricism, Skye’s left-of-center production, hip-hop, acid, house and more.
“They are Georgia’s songs; I don’t help with the lyrics,” Skye told Pitchfork in 2020. “Whenever I work with someone else, I don’t see the point of trying to figure out what they’re saying, because you don’t really know what they’re saying underneath—‘he broke my heart’ could mean millions of things. So I think the sound of what’s going on is what’s more interesting to work with, and that creates accidental clashes.”
It’s an insightful take on their creative partnership, and today saw them announce that they’ve signed with London’s famed Rough Trade Records. Along with the news comes their most decidedly club-centric jam yet, “50/50,” and an accompanying video. The pulsating beat from Skye see-saws back and forth from footwork to drum and bass rhythms. Ellery’s vocals call to mind J-Pop jump-up vibes. And you can see it all in the video, as they play to an ecstatic crowd from one of their shows at a Hackney club.
Jockstrap’s tunes have been showier in the past — more pop than electro, if you will. But they’ve leaned into collaborations with Phoenix experimental hip-hop group Injury Reserve on “Robert” and scored a modest hit with “Acid,” both off their 2020 EP Wicked City. Now with “50/50,” it foreshadows new horizons for the emerging group on their new label.