Throughout this year it seems as if the chaos has truly outweighed the calm, but those two states of being are what influenced ‘Hyper Romance,’ the sophomore album from Bristol’s Jadu Heart. We talked with the pair about the album, what happens when you know touring may not be an option, and more like where we started…their artist upbringings.

Kendra: Both being from artistic families, you must’ve been able to bond rather quickly when you first met. However, while you each had a creative upbringing, what unique perspective do you feel you brought into this dynamic pairing?

Jadu Heart: I guess we bonded over lots of other things rather than just creativity, it was mainly taste and we used to have very long chats about mental health and perspectives on life when we very first met. But as far as unique perspectives we both are weirdly on the same page mindset wise, we have almost identical taste in visual art/design/architecture and usually, if one person doesn’t like something probably the other won’t. It’s similar to music. One thing is that Alex is a better guitar player and Diva is a much better bass player.

Kendra: Being that your sophomore album, ‘Hyper Romance,’ is dropping amidst one of the wildest times of our lives – how do you feel in 10 years you’ll look back on this record?

Jadu Heart: Hopefully with very fond memories, I think as the album isn’t bowing down to fashionable music and trends I feel it has the capability of sounding relatively timeless, we wanted to make something like that. Also probably will be wrapped up in the crazy times we were living in and will be a reminder of how we got through it. I’m glad we’re releasing an album during COVID, it’s helped time stamp the period for me and given us something to focus on.

Kendra: Knowing that touring wasn’t going to be a viable option this year, was there any discussion to put the record on hold?

Jadu Heart: Yeah for sure, but in the end, it’s all about releasing music for us. We try not to be crazy precious about our music, more like how garage bands used to be, the ones who would release three albums and a live album every year on bootlegs. Just getting it out and moving on is kinda the way we work, I’m sure by this time next year we will be releasing another album so the touring can wait for that album. It is sad though, especially as this record was designed to be played live.

Kendra: You’ve noted how this album showcases the calm and the chaos. Would you say that reflects on your creative relationship; one of you acts as the calm before the other’s storm?

Jadu Heart: I guess so, we are both Geminis and we live up to the name, we can flip from one extreme to the other, it means sometimes the vibe can drop drastically and anyone who has toured with us will have inevitably seen us implode at each other. But it also means that we can be very close and comfortable and loving together. Two extremes for us are better than just a general stillness, it also passes over into general life, we can spend months touring, partying, moving about the county and seeing people then suddenly spend a month just watching tv in solitude.

Kendra: With your single, “Walk The Line,” you talk about the anxieties that present themselves with it comes to the inevitable coming of age. In all things art, that’s my favorite subject because it’s one of the most universal aspects of humanity. With that, if ‘Hyper Romance’ could be the soundtrack to a classic coming of age movie, which would it be and why?

Jadu Heart: Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm, I don’t know many coming of age movies other than ‘Mean Girls,’ maybe the film ‘Kids’ (written by Harmony Korine). It’s been super influential to us in the past and the title track on the album uses samples from a documentary called “Streetwise” which is basically the real-life version of ‘Kids.’ It follows some young homeless kids in Seattle who are forced into prostitution, drugs, and crime to survive. It’s interesting and powerful but also heartbreaking.

Kendra: With all that’s going on, how do you feel 2020 has shaped your creativity and drive moving forward?

Jadu Heart: I’m not sure yet, we will have to wait and see what happens in the rest of the year.

Kendra: Usually, this is where I ask people what they have planned in the coming months but with the world in a strange place right now, plans aren’t as concrete as they typically are. You can go ahead and let us know what you have tentatively planned but can you also share a song that never fails to get you through when the world around you feels like a mess?

Jadu Heart: When I get super stressed out recently I’ve been listening to “Computer Love” by Kraftwerk. It’s very calming melodies and continuous repetition helps me feel grounded. We have also both been listening to a lot of Kurt Vile as his music just feels so positive and uplifting but also relaxed. Just helps you stop worrying so much.