India Jordan – ‘For You’ EP review: utopian rave weapons and would-be festival anthems

Inspired by formatives years in the North East, Jordan strikes the perfect balance between joyous euphoria and vulnerable emotion

London-based producer and DJ India Jordan describes their second EP as “the most personal record I’ve made yet”. Inspired by growing up queer in the North East, ‘For You’ documents their journey to accepting their identity. The artwork reflects just that: shot at Dalston Superstore – a legendary queer venue close to their heart – the image shows them gazing into the mirror inside the club’s toilet, staring at their reflection.”When I was growing up, it wasn’t necessarily safe for me to show any public displays of affection with people,” they say, “so toilets were a safe option”.

This balance between long-awaited freedom and pent-up ecstasy fills each track. Like their previous releases on Local Action – having delivered two of 2019’s biggest dance tracks in ‘DNT STP MY LV’ and ‘WARPER’ – this six-track follow-up places equal emphasis on emotion and euphoria.

Opener ‘I’m Waiting (Just 4 U)’, which boasts an unforgettably-hooky chorus, is five minutes of uplifting disco-house perfection tailor-made for the Ibiza season – if only coronavirus hadn’t derailed thousands of summer plans. Riding a wave of shimmering synths, ‘For You’ is a turbo-charged shot of happiness designed for intimate, sweatbox clubs and muddy festival fields alike – but, for now, bouncing around the kitchen will have to do.

‘Emotional Melodical’ resets the vibe to a more thoughtful and introspective take of club music; a stark contrast to the dopamine rush that comes next. Sounding exactly how you would imagine, perfectly-titled ‘Rave City’ is the dancefloor equivalent of exploring an eye-popping video-game-style utopia at 100mph.

With the EP’s final two tracks, India proves their diversity as an artist unafraid to mix things up: after the atmosphere-building drum ‘n’ bass roller ‘Westbourne Ave’, they wind things down with dream-like lights-up-at-the-end-of-the-night moment ‘Dear Nan King’.

On one hand, ‘For You’ is 2020’s most joyous release so far, full of beaming rave weapons and would-be summer festival anthems landing at the perfect time. But at its vulnerable heart, India’s largest body of work to date is as much a love letter to themselves.

Details

Release date: May 20

Record label: Local Action

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