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Feb 06, 2023 By Caleb Campbell

LA alt pop singer/songwriter JORDI UP LATE emerged in 2020 with a series of kinetic electro pop cuts, culminating most recently with last year’s singles, “Hoax” and “TO BE YOUR FRIEND.” In that time, she’s also cemented an identity as a creative visual artist, enlacing her art with vibrant animated visuals and a home-grown charm. Those dual creative lanes are at the center of JORDI UP LATE’s latest efforts, which also act as the first taste of an upcoming EP and LP due out later this year. Today, she’s back with her first single of the year, “PUNX,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“PUNX” once again leans into JORDI’s talent for eclectic aesthetics, blending spacey soundscapes, clattering percussion, and a huge autotuned hook all into a sharp electro pop collage. JORDI’s performance moves easily between a haze of swirling lo-fi vocals and the brash towering chorus, all as the lyrics deliver a clear message to toxic friendships: “I said fuck it / You’re not my friend no more / And when I kick the bucket / You’ll be alone for sure.” The track also sees JORDI collaborating with producer and musician Wyatt Thunder, whose own array of synth textures fits effortlessly into JORDI’s colorful world.

JORDI UP LATE says of the track, “Sometimes, we give a lot of energy and time to people who aren’t true about their intentions and we feel that we have been played. However, in the end those people are really just playing themselves out of healthy friendships and kind lovers. ‘PUNX’ is basically about telling someone to fuck off and letting toxic people go while also unapologetically and happily reminding them of what they are losing and what we are gaining.”

On the track’s accompanying music video, she continued:“The ‘PUNX’ music video revolved around shooting on a green screen set. I utilized the green screen throughout the entire video as a tool for creating movement, motion, effort, and sweat, without actually going anywhere or accomplishing any distance. This mirrors the idea of putting effort into a relationship that goes unappreciated. The song is also about gaining freedom by saying fuck it and letting my unfiltered feelings guide the way. Green screen also provided an amazing opportunity to get whacky and surreal in post, like a dream - unfiltered. I then purposefully like to reveal the green screen as a comment on fakery and manipulation explored in the lyrics. Overall the visuals needed to reflect both the dark but fun sensibilities of the track.”

Check out the song and video early below. You can also read our brief introductory Q&A with JORDI here.

Regarding developing your vision as not only a musician, but as a producer and visual artist as well, how did the interplay between those various skill sets and passions lead to the ideation of JORDI UP LATE we see today? What would you say is the most important aspect of your creative process?

My name JORDI UP LATE comes from being both a visual artist and musician. Starting from the age of about 12 I used to paint until the sun came up on the weekends. By the time I started producing at 14 I wasn’t a stranger to artistic obsession. The idea of letting the ideas flow until they aren’t anymore was second nature because of the painting and it transferred so naturally to writing music. Oftentimes that meant being up late.

The most important aspect of my creative process is definitely bouncing back and forth between my various art practices. I need multiple outlets for my creative energy in order to keep moving. Instead of allowing myself to get stuck on a song or a production decision I will take a break and come back to a painting or an animation or piece of pottery. By the time I’ve sat long enough with another medium, I feel revitalized and ready to come back to the music with a clear head, having never stopped the creative flow of energy. And it works in both directions between visual art and music. This way I’m just moving through each process without judging myself too harshly.

How did this collaboration between Wyatt Thunder and yourself come about? Can you describe what creating the track looked like and how you got from A to B?

When Wyatt and I met outside of music we immediately connected over our shared music tastes and personal styles. We started as each other’s fans and knew a collaboration was inevitable. Wyatt had originally produced the track for his own project but wasn’t sure he would use it. He played it for me as a possibility and I was immediately obsessed. I reproduced and restructured some of the music, scratched his lyrics and melody and came up with my rendition. The synths and sounds he used were so inspiring that writing the lyrics came easy - the emotions were clear. Needless to say I had so much fun with this one and I can’t wait to keep working with Wyatt.