SMILE MACHINE (AKA JORDYN BLAKELY) ANNOUNCES DEBUT EP "BYE FOR NOW" + SHARES "SHIT APPLE" WITH EARS TO FEED

Posted on June 17th, 2021

[as seen on Ears To Feed]

Brooklyn’s Jordyn Blakely takes center stage as Smile Machine for her upcoming EP Bye For Now and it’s strident lead single “Shit Apple.”

Jordyn Blakely is one of Brooklyn’s most sought after drummers, performing in numerous projects like Maneka, Jackal Onassis, Stove, Night Manager, Butter The Children and more. This fall, Blakely will also be joining indie darling Bartees Strange’s all-star backing band lineup.

Bye For Now is an intimate, cathartic release that finds Blakely overcoming the pain of losing her father and the end of tumultuous unhealthy relationship. As Smile Machine, Blakely began picking up the pieces from these traumatic experiences and using them to better herself.

Recording for the EP began with producer Dan Francia briefly before the onset of the pandemic but lockdown upended those plans and Blakely was left to her own devices. She recruited her friends to assist in crafting the EP when precautions allowed. The EP is subdued in a lo-fi texture that harnesses the emotional burdens Blakely was trying to get off her shoulders.

On “Shit Apple,” Blakely’s tensions mix well with the propulsive nature of the track’s hazy instrumentals. Her vocals are buried beneath the cacophony of fuzzed out guitars and swell of drums that build with intensity after every stroke.

In a press release, Blakely attributed her inspiration behind the track from a Trailer Park Boys quote, “made me think about how if you’re not healthy on the inside, emotionally or mentally, it eventually spews out onto other parts of your life and people around you if you aren’t taking care of yourself and your mental health.”