Jody DeMarco is a fan of cult movies, so much so that it seeps into their songwriting with Sixteen Jackies. With glam atmospheres and punk edges in the vein of T. Rex and Brian Eno, each of the songs the Philly retro-rock four-piece performed in WXPN studios are a self-contained cinematic story arc.
Their latest single, “The Convert,” closes the band’s Key Studio Session not only with snappy rhythms and catchy refrains, but a chilling narrative about the horrors of conversion therapy — and one central character who chooses to fight back. A brand new song called “One Of The Boys” is a bright bop with an electronic pop underbelly that presents a vignette of a character navigating narrow gender roles and trying to fit in. The movies are even the subject on “Creature Feature,” the playful story of two boys who find love over midnight movies and LSD.
Alongside DeMarco, Sixteen Jackies is made up of Jeremiah Bull on guitar, Tim Davis on bass, and Ian Staley on drums, and it’s been a good year for them; the band played Union Transfer this summer opening for Cupcakke, and they were part of the inaugural Slomosapia Festival in the pines of South Jersey this fall. Next year, the band plans to release it’s first full-length, Bangs & Whimpers, and the performance the band gave for The Key Studio Sessions has us shivering with anticipation.
Watch their performance below, and for more, give the band a follow on Instagram at @sixteen.jackies.