Queen of Jeans - hard/SWEET

“Soaring” WXPN 

“Enchanting, angsty indie rock tinged with emo sensibility; exhilarating momentum.” Stereogum 

“Queen of Jeans take on much-uncharted territory, dabbling in new and ambient sounds” Alt Press 

“Equally dreamy and hooky” The Alternative

PRODUCED BY THE BAND AND JUSTIN BARTLETT; MASTERED BY GRAMMY AWARD WINNER WILL YIP (TURNSTILE, TITLE FIGHT)

Philly’s indie sweethearts Queen of Jeans return with hard/SWEET, a new album about how tenderness can be an act of resistance in a world that rewards cynicism and rage.

Out October 9 on Memory Music, the label founded by Grammy Award-winning producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight), the title is taken from a lyric in the album’s closing track (“I could be hard or I could be sweet, just tell me the version you’re needing of me”), but works as a theme for the record as a whole.

Throughout, Queen of Jeans balance the tension between self-protection and kindness. “We all have the ability to be hard or put up a wall,” the band explains. “But we also share the vulnerability of waiting for someone to truly know us and break through.”

Produced and engineered by Justin Bartlett, mixed by Yip and Bartlett, and mastered by Yip, it’s a fitting title for the band’s fourth LP. Since forming in 2017, Queen of Jeans’ sound has always been soft around the edges but explores feelings that are anything but. Over the years, they’ve refined a signature sound built around dreamy guitars, adventurous instrumentation, crushing lyricism, and one of the most underrated voices in modern indie rock.

With guitarist Mattie Glass and bassist Andrew Nitz, Queen of Jeans are effortlessly timeless but still of-the-times, and continue to be one of indie’s most consistently compelling bands.

Elsewhere on hard/SWEET, Queen of Jeans passionately muse about growing up (“Still Learning”); search for connection in a world that often feels increasingly divided (“Nothin’”); and remind us that queer love deserves celebrating, especially in the places that grew us (“Bucks County”).

By the end, it’s less a reflection on relationships and more about hope, despite the overwhelming uncertainty of the world. It’s a reminder that even in our darkest moments, the people beside us can be our anchor if only we’re able to let them in.