Ella Jane is Unapologetically, Authentically Herself in “Party Trick”
Photo: Paris Mupower
All of a sudden, I melt into you, and I don't even know you, but I’ll act like I do.
As bittersweet as they can be, fleeting moments are often the most gratifying. Whether it be going on a first and last date, meeting someone far away from home, or even befriending the cute person sitting next to you on the airplane, there is something about knowing a moment is going to end that makes all of the time in between seem infinite. In Ella Jane’s latest single “Party Trick,” the singer-songwriter sees a girl across the room and decides that there is ultimately no other option than to live in the moment together.
“Party Trick” tells the narrative of meeting someone and making them yours for the night—regardless of what happens next. Does anything need to happen next, anyways? Jane carves out a new era for her songwriting and storytelling, writing with a folky, ‘matter of fact’ style as she takes us through her night spent at a house party. Over subdued indie-pop instrumentation, she admits, “I always end up doing shit like this / Saying I love you just for a party trick” and “‘Cause after the party, you’ll meet somebody new / And I’ll do it all over / That’s just what I do...”
In “Party Trick,” Jane is unapologetically herself, as she explores and embraces her bisexuality. Vulnerability can be so scary yet freeing and uplifting, and by confronting the most authentic version of herself, she opens up an entirely elevated chapter for her sound.
Jane explains, "'Party Trick' represents a lot of new and exciting beginnings for me - for one, it’s the first song I’ve ever released that is conspicuously, unmistakably about a girl. Though I’ve been open about my bisexuality for a while now, for a long time I was afraid to write about girls in any obvious way. I think this is because I wasn’t ready to be fully honest with myself. But piecing together 'Party Trick' reminded me just why I write songs: to access my truest, most vulnerable self, unadulterated by the expectations of others."
In addition to the release of “Party Trick” is the official visualizer. In the visualizer, we are taken to a house party lit in red hues with blue solo cups, where Jane is sat in the bathroom (and relatably so) as the night unfolds around her—people talking, fighting, making out, making up—as she maintains a physical (and emotional) distance from the chaos. Despite taking place at a crowded party, the visualizer feels intimate, as if Jane is letting us into all the little thoughts running through her brain at the moment.
“Party Trick” will be featured on Ella Jane’s forthcoming EP, set to release this fall.
Watch the “Party Trick” visualizer below: