After a decade-long stint fronting the Melbourne-based indie outfit Teeth & Tongue, Jess Cornelius made a move to LA to make a go of it as a solo artist, with her 2020 debut Distance proving she had the chops to bridge the distance between the upbeat pop of her past material and a more introspective singer-songwriter approach. Next Friday she’ll be following that release up with her sophomore record CARE/TAKING, which ups the stakes on both facets of her writing. “I started writing ‘Laps in the Drugstore’ several years ago, but it was just the opening chords and melody,” Cornelius shared regarding one of the record’s lead singles. “I’d been so scared of changing my situation even though it was crushing my self-esteem. And once I finally did, the future opened up. Something comes behind, every single time.”
Ahead of CARE/TAKING’s June 14 release via Tender Loving Empire, Cornelius brought that track—along with another early single, “People Move On”—to an outdoor spot in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights for a “Neighborhoods” set. Using the city’s skyline as a backdrop, the songwriter deconstructs both tracks and recreates them as acoustic ballads without stripping them of their appeal. Check out her performances of both tracks below.
