Any alt-rock fans out there? We’ve got a brand new song for you!
“Poison” is the brand new single from Jackie Foster & Self Portraits (formally called Self Portraits), which debuted this past Friday. Foster was a top-8 finalist on season 14 of The Voice and every week, blew me away with her bad-ass rock performances and powerhouse vocals.
Jackie Foster & Self Portraits formed in Boston and consists of Foster on lead vocals and her fellow Berklee College of Music classmates, guitarists Gray Trainer and John Benoit, bassist Ethan Cate, and drummer Chris Drago.
Self Portraits released their debut Dreamcatchers EP in 2016 which has an indie rock/emo vibe, reminiscent of Evanescence meets early Paramore (which happens to be Foster’s favorite band!)
Their new single “Poison” however, is more modern alternative rock meets pop/EDM like PVRIS and CHVRCHES. The song begins with a cool, distorted vocal and then Foster begins singing over a fun dance/pop beat, “No strings attached / That’s what you said that this would be / So stop saying we should see if it’ll work / I can’t hold back / I told myself I won’t let go of being on my own…”
The chorus has a cool, unexpected EDM/rock drop, “You can’t love me cause I’m poison / You can’t love me cause I think I’m losing my mind.” In the second chorus, she sings “I can’t hold back / It’s getting harder and harder to push you away….” And in the bridge she sings “I’m contagious / I’m dangerous / I’m contagious / I’ll get under your skin.”
In a recent interview with CelebMix, Foster explains that “Poison” is about having a fling with someone and then despite growing feelings, being skeptical to get into anything serious. “I know a lot of people sometimes carry so much weight from past relationships that it’s like, are you sure you want to get into all this mess,” Foster explains. “Basically it’s like, listen if you date me, you’ve got to understand what comes with dating me.”
“Poison” is definitely one of my favorite songs of 2018. First, it has a great message: we all have our personal demons and insecurities but at the end of the day, it’s not worth letting it interfere with relationships. It also has an infectious chorus. I find myself singing the “You can’t love me cause I’m poison” line in my head over and over throughout the day! But not only is it a catchy song but there aren’t many female rock vocalists out there right now. Jackie Foster & Self Portraits are paving the way for more female fronted rock bands which the music industry needs more of. I’m so excited to hear what else they have up their sleeves. In the mean time, take a listen to “Poison” and let us know what you think by tweeting us at @soundigest!
Featured Image: Self Portrait
