Queen of Jeans is a band built upon the idea of making the most of bad situations, as guitarist/vocalist Miriam Devora and bassist Mattie Glass joined forces after a mutual frustration with their roles as the token queer female in their respective bands. Additionally, their therapeutic new record If you’re not afraid, I’m not afraid was written in response to a fear of loss that plagued Devora over a short period of time, from the passing of her mother to the dissolution of safe spaces that immediately came with the election of our current president.
This theme continues on the album’s second single, “All the Same,” which details the all-too-familiar situation of trying to move on after a relationship begins to dissolve: “I’ll even let her eat the food off our plates, while you kiss her in my face,” Devora sings with a neutral demeanor.
“I wrote this song loosely based on the end of a friend’s relationship,” she explains. “They were together for a long time and kind of grew up together, but unfortunately in the process of growing as individuals, one of them fell in love with someone else. It took awhile for them to fully move on from one another because of the nature of their living situation, so even as they were starting to do things separately from one another, at times it felt like they were still involved.”
OK, so it’s not that optimistic, but as a third party to the relationship—as depicted in the video by her serenading a rotating cast of dating couples—Devora’s lyrics are entirely empathetic in their indication that moving on is not only possible, but inevitable. “The song was kind of an examination from the viewpoint of the person that hadn’t moved on yet, and what that might have felt like,” she concludes. “That aggravation of knowing both too much and not enough, and the experience of such a significant relationship unraveling while still tethered to one another on levels beyond romantic.”
If you’re not afraid, I’m not afraid is out August 23 on Topshelf Records. You can pre-order it here. Catch the band on the road with The Menzingers and From Indian Lakes at the dates below.
8/1 – Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre
8/2 – Bloomington, IN @ The Castle Theatre
8/3 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
8/4 – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s
8/6 – Newport, KY @ The Southgate House Revival
8/7 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
8/8 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
8/9 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Peabody’s Nightclub
8/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
9/5 – Washington, D.C. @ Songbyrd
9/6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
9/7 – New York, NY @ Goldsounds
9/8 – Boston, MA @ Once Ballroom
11/9 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
11/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
11/12 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
1115 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
11/16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
11/19 – Washington DC @ Songbyrd
11/20 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
11/21 – Nashville, TN @ High Watt
11/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
11/25 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda
11/26 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
12/3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
12/4 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
12/5 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
12/7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
12/8 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
12/10– Portland, OR @ Holocene
12/11 – Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theater
