Review #7 : Jackie June - Chasing Nightmares

Review #7

Artist: Jackie June
Song: Chasing Nightmares
(Produced by Jamie Mcclanahan of Audio Faktory, Co-written by Jes Hudak)

Jackie June is a new recording artist from the music soaked state of New Jersey. She debuted her first single, Chasing Nightmares this past summer to some pretty positive reviews. Having worked with Jackie in the past on a professional level, one can easily see her drive and determination to push her music forward. Chasing Nightmares is definitely a solid step toward a serious music endeavor.

    When re-experiencing the single purely as a listener, I was able to appreciate the personal message being communicated to Jackie’s audience. The song is telling a story we’ve all heard before in one way or another. That tale however, never stops being relatable and of course can be comforting to some whom may be experiencing similar pain and stress.

While I do hear some lyrical and vocal similarities to emo/pop-punk bands like Mayday Parade, Marianas Trench, and even Go Radio, I think this song could easily fall into a genre most likened with that of Frozen’s “Let It Go” or other Disney inspired tracks of that nature. This is by no means a negative by the way. Many of those songs, as overplayed as some may be (looking at you Idina Menzel), are beautifully produced ear-worms that are not easily forgotten.

Speaking of production, Chasing Nightmares was produced by fellow musician, Jamie Mcclanahan of The Victory Drive. A fan of his or even just an astute local music lover, can tell he too put many of his personal connections and tastes into this song’s creation. Jamie does a great job of developing a melancholy, yet hopeful atmosphere when mixing the haunting piano melodies of Jes Hudak with additional pop oriented instrumentals. These things combined with Jackie June and Ms. Hudak’s songwriting make for a pretty memorable track.

Jackie June is currently performing solo shows around New Jersey, most recently with rising artist, SayWeCanFly at Stanhope House, one of North Jersey’s most notable venues. We certainly hope to hear more recorded music from Ms. June very soon (sorry for the rhyme, couldn’t stop myself) but until then, you can hear Chasing Nightmares on all major streaming outlets as well as in the song’s lyric video produced by Frosted Green Productions!

- Ryan Hanratty
Frosted Green Productions