From the first glistening chord of EIGHT's newest single, "Jessica," you're swept into a universe where memories and melody meld, and it never lets go. This is a feeling, a late-night confession, and a quiet ache screens behind your eyes like a movie reel. Formed around the close songwriting partnership of vocalist Geoff Childs and guitarist Dom Spina, "Jessica" sits somewhere between dream pop and moody indie-rock, enveloped in atmosphere and emotional potency. Add JP's thumping on the drums, Edilson's earthy bass, and Sami's textural guitar layering, and what you have is hauntingly beautiful, like a fog creeping in over a sleepless cityscape.
And the track, produced by Michael Sarracini at Mono Road Music, is slick but doesn't lose its ragged edge. And that instant at 1:10, when the hook swells and everything slides into emotional overdrive, is pure catharsis. It's as if the track breathes exhaling anguish, yearning, and the shadow of a name we've all murmured into the night. "Jessica" seeps in slowly, like smoke under a closed door, and you are eventually enveloped. The heartbreak in Geoff's voice sounds lived-in, as if from a place that still stings. The guitars shimmer not in dappled patterns but in shallow pools, definitely not for show but because there's something a bit deeper that needs to be caught and returned, a moment you can't quite shake loose, no matter how far you run and how many times you counter all the miles and all the mistakes.
There's a cinematic tinge here, the kind of track you'd score for a pivotal scene from a movie, headlights on a wet street, a couple standing in silence, the space between love and goodbye. From their forthcoming album "Sleepless in Toronto," "Jessica" indicates textured, emotional storytelling executed with sincerity and sonic finesse. EIGHT has delivered a cut that sounds good and feels vital. In Jessica's case, EIGHT isn't after what's trendy. They're chasing ghosts, and they're making us feel each and every one of them.