One of the best parts of our day is getting the opportunity to discover dozens of new artists and be exposed to a variety of new singles, genres, and concepts that we may not come across on our own. With our New Music Friday playlists growing each day, and countless new tracks being sent our way- we have been so thankful to find some artists who have made their way onto our daily mixes. One such artist being the rising alt rockers January Jane.

Catching our attention with the release of their incredibly infectious single “Versions of You” which dropped at the top of last month, January Jane are a group you do not want to miss out on.

With only three singles available on streaming services at the moment, including a cover of Hall and Oates’ “Can’t Go For That,” January Jane are a New York based trio that are preparing to take the music scene by storm with their upcoming EP Your Drug set for release later this year.

And though the band are only just getting started together after a chance encounter at an art gallery- the band’s three members Pat Via, Mitch Mitchell and Peter Scialla are anything but beginners. With instrumental and vocal skills well crafted beyond the band’s short existence, the trio perfectly compliment each other and create engaging music that will have you bopping along as you find yourself singing their chorus’ on repeat.

So this begs the question: how did a band of three strangers turn into a well crafted and well oiled machine? 

We had the opportunity to chat with January Jane’s Pat and Mitch to learn more about the band, their writing process and what they hope comes out of 2021.

You can read our full interview below, and be sure to check out their latest single “Versions of You,” out now.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. I just wanted to start off by checking in and seeing how you all are doing amidst everything happening in the world right now? I know things are a bit hectic especially in the music world so I think it’s important to just take a beat and check in.

Pat: It’s our pleasure to be speaking with you and thanks for checking in with us. We know how crazy this whole pandemic has been and we hope that everyone else is doing well. Our hearts go out to anyone that’s had a tough time. So far we’re doing well. 

Mitch: Amen!

I’ve read that your name comes from two of you meeting in January on Jane Street, but there is more to that story. For listeners who may be curious can you explain how your band came to be?

Pat: We met each other at an art gallery exhibition that a mutual friend was having. I was there actually shooting a documentary for the artist and Mitch was attending the opening. We were introduced and decided to hang out a couple days later and write a song. That song took 10 minutes to write and when stuff like that happens, you kind of just know that there is a good working chemistry there. So we kept writing and recording and playing shows, then we met Peter a little later on through another friend that heard us play (that first song we had written coincidentally), and here we are now. 

Mitch: What’s truly amazing to me is BMG will be releasing that very first song we wrote together on our next EP… so talk about full circle! When it feels right it usually is right, and you can’t deny, “love at first song!” Lol 

For readers who may not have heard your music before, how would you describe January Jane’s sound? 

Pat: We’ve heard some interesting combinations like we’re “30 Seconds to Bruno Mars’ Muse” or A mix between Fitz and the Tantrums and the Neon Trees. We’ve also been called Epic Alternative and Super Pop, so do with those what you will. We like them all!

Mitch: I describe our sound as “January Jane,” and I know that’s super helpful! Lol But it really is just us being us. 

Are there certain artists that inspire your sound? 

Pat: As a band we’ve had a lot of the same influences in our Venn Diagram of music from Van Halen and Depeche Mode, to Soundgarden and Metallica, to the Stones and Billy Joel, even with Disclosure and Daft Punk in there – the list goes on and on.

Mitch: Yeah, when we first met and started discussing music, it was pretty shocking just how big the union in our musical Venn Diagram was and still is. It certainly helps to be speaking the same language when we’re writing, so to speak, but we also diverge off on some different paths. We’re always introducing some interesting flavors that maybe the “other guy” wouldn’t necessarily have brought to the table and that helps keep things fresh, too… Gotta lock in that freshness! 

You’ve recently released your new single “Versions of You,” which follows the idea that each of us have different versions of ourselves that we present to the public as well as a quantum physics concept regarding our perceptions of reality. Can you explain a bit more about what the track means to you? 

Pat: The track can be interpreted in different ways, but for me I feel like the song asks, “Who are you in relationships at the beginning? How about when they’re on the edge, on the brink of chaos? What version of you do you show to the world and everyone in it? We wear so many different faces, it’s a question of life, love, and ourselves.  

Mitch: I’ve been mesmerized by that crazy, but seemingly true, theory in Quantum Physics that states that the “mere act of observation affects experimental findings.” Of course that has to do with electrons behaving like particles, and not waves, but it also applies to music and how the meaning of things is always changing, as well. 

Do you feel as though you have different versions of yourselves that you present to the public as January Jane vs when you are on your own?

Pat: I think for a long time I had a certain persona on stage vs off stage – I feel like as time goes on they start to become closer together as one side has helped the more introverted pieces of me grow into the extroverted side – I also think people internalize a lot of things going on in their lives and don’t really show their cards. But I think all of that makes for good writing. At the end of the day everyone has different sides to themselves, it’s all about balancing them. 

Mitch: And circling back to “Versions Of You,” it’s difficult, if not impossible, to know how people view you vs how you view yourself and that’s always changing, too. So it’s always best to just be yourself.

You are also gearing up for the release of your EP Your Drug on June 18th. What can listeners expect from the EP sonically?

Pat: Come with us on a little adventure through a New York City night in an awesome limo from the 80’s we built. 

Mitch: Yeah, all the joys of a late night night in NYC with none of the hangover… plus, our 80’s limo has a pool in the back! Lol 

Can you walk us through your writing process? What usually comes first- the lyrics or the instrumentals?

Pat: It’s different every time but for these particular songs the recording process for some of them started back in 2017 in our studio in Midtown Manhattan and were just recently touched up and finished in Brooklyn with Jamie Pitrelli and Mike Squillante. For “Versions of You,”  the inspiration came when I saw a model on the train who looked so unhappy looking at pictures from her portfolio. It made me think people can have such a hard time finding happiness in different versions of themselves even if they had the world’s approval and praise. The music kind of fell into place with some bass and drums I did, then Mitch came in with guitar and Pete finished with the keyboards. A similar thing happened with “Your Drug.” But with songs like “Addicted to the Night” the music was one song at first, then another idea sparked a different idea, and I sang a couple different ideas over it until we got to the vocals you hear now. I know Mitch went through a few different guitar riffs as well – sometimes it’s free for all. 

Mitch: We’ve written and recorded 50+ songs together, and I still don’t understand how any of it works! Sometimes it feels more like we’re revealing parts than actually “writing” them, sometimes a song is written while recording a totally different one, some of these riffs I didn’t even know I was playing, because Jamie had hit “record” while I was just jamming- or working something out, and that’s what’s on the record. There’s no rhyme or reason to any of this… and that’s half the fun! 

Did your writing process or recording process change at all because of the pandemic? If yes, how so?

Pat: If anything, being locked inside gave us even more time to write and record ideas. We’re the type of band that likes to always be working so any idea we have, we’ll always lay down something and come back to it later. Now that we know more about COVID and have vaccines and things we can safely meet up more and work. We’ve been very fortunate where we didn’t have to stop during this whole crazy time at least with ideas.

Mitch: We certainly took advantage of the time that was handed to us… we just never stopped… when our SXSW dates were cancelled last March, instead of taking a pause, we just started writing more. Working helped keep us sane, so now we have loads of new tunes AND we’re less crazy, so double whammy!

A prevailing theme throughout your music is the mention or presence of New York City- including in one of the EP’s tracks “NYC.” It’s often said that New York City is almost a character in itself, as the whole city has so much personality. Do you feel as though your music would have a different feeling or tone to it had New York City not been where you recorded?

Pat: I don’t think the band would exist! Or at least it would be way different. There’s something to New York City that brings people and dreams together in a way that other places don’t. For us, the streets are running through those songs so I’m pretty sure they would be totally different if we had been somewhere else.

Mitch: Write what you know! It would be pretty difficult to remove where we are from the equation. I mean, we literally hung out of the window in our recording studio in Midtown (Manhattan) with microphones to capture the sound of the city… so NYC is literally in our music.

What would you ideally like listeners to take away from your music?

Pat: Let’s start a party that never ends. 

Mitch: And let’s get to that party in the back of our 80’s limo with a giant pool in the back… no peeing! 

Where would you like to see January Jane in five years?

Pat: The moon hopefully! We have a lot of goals to achieve, most importantly to continue making more music. Let’s start with some live shows once things open up, that’s where we’d like to see everyone first! 

Mitch: Amen! To the Moon and beyond… but first let’s get back on a stage that has gravity!

You can stream “Versions of You” out now wherever you stream music, and be sure to follow the band on social media via the links below to stay up to date on all things new music, tours and Your Drug out June 18.

Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / TikTok