Jean Deaux • Outer Body EP

Late last night, Chicago singer Jean Deaux released an EP entirely produced by fellow Chicago collective THEMpeople. The EP, Outer Body, is composed of three songs, with each sounding stronger than the last. That's not to say that the opening song is poor; quite the contrary. I'm saying that the progression is noticeable and significant, with the first track impressing, the second continuing to entertain, and the third finishing with the listener wanting to do nothing but hit play again.

The thirteen minute EP opens with Deaux talking about wanting to make larger waves, right before spazzing out on “Chemistry”, where she properly shows off her pipes and her bars. The song closes with a stellar guitar solo from THEMpeople affiliate Ben Hixon (who is currently station in Dallas). The second song, “Act Right (Saturn's Return)” is slightly hotter than the opening, as Deaux blends an impressively sung chorus with a rapid-fire, freeform verse.

Because this was released last night, I'm not going to dive deep into the analytics behind the lyricism and instrumentation of this significantly strong EP, as I haven't given it enough time for proper digestion, but after listening through three times (with an additional five listens to the final and strongest song “Mickey, Mallory & Deauxality” with Sean Deaux), I know it's not something that I'll be quick to dismiss. Instead, those first three listens might as well be appetizers, as I can already tell that this'll be an EP I play front-to-back while I'm getting ready in the morning, while I'm driving to work, while I'm saying goodnight.