Jana Pochop – “Oh My Heart”
Jana Pochop – “Oh My Heart” – Single Review
Oh-so-many thoughts…where to start…where to start…
Let’s begin with a fun fact you may/may-not know about me already…there’s pretty much no time in any day that I can think of where I probably wouldn’t rather be listening to Jana’s music if I had the option – without question, she’s been one of my favorite writers & artists out there in the scene for what feels like at least a couple years or so at this point, perhaps a lil’ longer. I’ve heard solo-tunes, I’ve spun her record & songs in the duo onetwothreescream more times than I can count, to the point where her words literally bounce around my head almost each and every day even when I don’t get a chance to listen.
Everything ties in…all the moves we make tell a story…Jana’s…music in general…even my own. What she likely doesn’t know is just how much of an inspiration her words & songs have been to me when I truly need it most…and I can’t thank her enough for that. Some of you out there have noticed & commented that I’ve been writing a bit less frequently over these past couple months…and while that’s certainly true & a reflection of the grind of the current state of the world trying to turn me into dust…if I’m being honest, Jana’s probably responsible for me getting ANY work done at times believe it or not. “I don’t know how else to go…just gotta do the work” – hopefully I’ve got that quote right, that’s how I hear it in my head…it’s a lyric from a song she put out on onetwothreescream’s Lit EP…and it’s become my mantra of sorts, when times get toughest and depression threatens to stop me from functioning. Push play…type…keep my head down…”do the work” – these have been the keys to my survival for what seems like years now. It might seem like nothing to most of you reading, but this tiny reminder in the middle of an awesome song on an amazing record…has been everything to me – and thank-you Jana.
While I never try to guess too much about what might come through my speakers next, expect, or assume too much before having the chance to listen…at the same time, if you’ve got your eyes open & your ear to the ground, you can infer things from the life around us. Each and every day offers up a new piece to all of our puzzles…and if you’re paying attention, you can put a few things together. I follow Jana Pochop proudly on Twitter – she’s always making either an incredibly insightful & important point that’s worth listening to, or offering up some equally insightful humor to gift us all with a laugh or two. To say these past…oh, I dunno…hmmm…over three & a half-years have likely been tough on her spirit, would probably be an understatement…and of course, 2020 hasn’t made that time any easier at all. And though you can see that she’s gone through many ups/downs like so many of us have from 2016 & on – what you can also see, is that while it might have been tough on her, yes – Jana’s spirit can’t be broken. She’s a leader on the frontlines of change and standing up for what’s right…she’s courageous enough to raise her voice when it matters and call people out when it counts more than ever – she’s unafraid to speak truth to power, and through her music, poetry, words, & daily LIFE, she takes action with integrity.
But let’s just say I wasn’t expecting to be in for the happiest song I’d hear in 2020 when it came to Pochop’s latest single, based on all the aforementioned fuckery of the past nearly four years & the looming threat of four more just like it. It takes a damn toll on us. It makes us feel all kinds of crazy things from the unrest in our souls craving some semblance of normalcy & peace. “Oh My Heart” indeed. Most of ours are broken in some way, shape, or form right now…and feel beyond repair.
What I can also tell you for sure is that, sorrowful & weary sound it may possess, yes – but downtrodden vibes are usually part of my main diet to begin with. And did I somewhere in here already mention my unbridled love for Pochop’s music? I did? Oh. Well…okay then…you get it, and you probably get where I’m going with all this…I absolutely love what she’s come up with on her latest single “Oh My Heart.”
There is not a single song of Jana’s that I’m personally familiar with that I couldn’t sing at least SOME of her words from memory, outside of the process of actively listening at the time of – these are the kind of tunes she writes, and they stick with you for years & years afterwards, resonating deep in your soul. “Oh My Heart” is another extremely compelling & exceptional example of why she’s one of the top-shelf artists & songwriters in our music-scene today…the depth & sincerity in this song are purely breathtaking. Highly poetic as ever, the imagery in her lyricism always evokes vivid scenes & scenarios in your mind as you listen, offering up spectacularly interpretive tales that are quite likely completely personal to her, and yet somehow apply to us all. You consider how what she sings about applies to your own life, and you certainly feel the strength in the emotion, atmosphere, and vibes of a song like “Oh My Heart.” There’s undeniable weight here…it’s an emotionally heavy tune & there’s no doubt about that – you can feel the pain & the struggle, the confusion, and the battle to make sense of an entire plethora of feelings she’s experiencing. And yet…I’d still argue…there’s just enough of a flicker of hope…”a desperate flare” in this tale that reveals she might be down, she might be introspective, she might be doing her own best just not to crack through these fractured times we’re living in…but she’s still not broken…and nor will she ever be.
This picture & scene tends to echo in my mind these days…the sheer desperation in that question written on the barn’s roof can bring me straight to tears sometimes when considering its relevance to today. And YES it’s from a fictional TV show – but isn’t that how so many of us are feeling right now? “Oh My Heart” – YES…yes indeed, we do. It’s a time in life that seems like all leadership has abandoned us, and were looking to the sky for some sort of otherworldly rescue at this point. I am more than thankful that artists like Jana Pochop exist in our world and are willing to “do the work” – she helps continually restore my faith in our shared humanity by audibly displaying such powerful emotion & passion in the music she makes. Listen to the way she sings “Oh My Heart” – listen to the way the entire atmosphere of this song surrounds & envelops you – listen to her thought-provoking, insightful, and astutely observational words and try to convince me that Jana isn’t one of the truly unique voices of our time right now. I wouldn’t change a thing about this cut.
Where traditional systemic leadership fails – we turn to art & music for answers and the inspiration we need to push forward. Whether she realizes it or not, Jana’s been playing a giant role in that for years now…if I’ve been personally bettered by the music she’s been making, then I’m definitely not alone in that, and there are likely legions of us across the globe that are catching onto just how infinitely special Pochop truly is. When that question of “Where are the heroes?” comes back around into my mind as it inevitably does & will again…it’s been more than comforting to be able to answer back with a name like Jana Pochop as an example of the fact that heroes are indeed, here among us. She makes me proud of the independent scene, she’s definitely a hero to me – and she’s put together another brilliant single & moment in time I know I’ll never forget with “Oh My Heart” – I literally cannot thank her enough for all the contributions she’s made to making this world of ours a better place; the best I can do is draw from her inspiration, listen, keep my head down, “do the work,” and try to keep up with her.
Find out more about Jana Pochop at her official page at: www.janapochop.com
Join the thousands of bands & artists reviewed at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here!
