Courtney Jacobs - ‘Miracle’ review

Charlottesville-based indie pop musician Courtney Jacobs makes hazy, synth-heavy pop with jazz and funk influences. Through her dreamy vocals and thought-provoking lyrics, she explores the multiple sides to every story. She plans on releasing a single every 4-6 weeks throughout 2021, culminating in an EP in the winter.

Courtney grew up in Houston, TX and is currently a fourth year student at the University of

Virginia, studying computer science. She started performing with her rock band, Silver Retriever, in 2019, and began releasing pop music in the summer of 2020. For Courtney, music is a way to unleash her creativity in an industry that often values logic and rigidity over freeflowing expression.

Her new single ‘Miracle’ dropped this weekend. It’s a powerful, emotional song with a heavy drop that showcases the stronger side of Courtney's normally hazy voice. 

The lyrics explore walking the line between a healthy relationship and the unhealthy expectations society places on romantic love, Courtney explores what flashes through your mind when you’re missing someone but don’t want to smother them.On ‘Miracle’ Courtney Jacobs paints a narrative of anger and acceptance towards a lover who is naturally distant, but shows up when it really counts. The theme of distance is also explored in the song with lines like “We’ll be together later/ All you have to do is wait”. A common thread through all of Jacobs’ releases is the element of relatability, she touches on topics like relationships and being scared of being too needy without entirely devoting her brand to being a ‘sad woman singing about men’. 

While the sound of the track is a move away from her previous work, this change really allows the stronger elements of her vocal performance to shine through and in doing so opens up another side of her personality to the listener. While Jacobs’ signature self-described ‘chill girl’ hazy voice lends itself to her usual synth and sample based tracks, the strength of the vocals on ‘Miracle’ add to the songs overall feeling of rawness and emotional vulnerability. 

It is interesting to see what Jacobs’ can do across genres, from her rock performances with Silver Retriever to her varied solo material, she definitely has range and knows how to use it. With the knowledge that Jacobs has mentioned that she would like to see a return to her rock roots, we can probably expect a step away from this more pop-oriented style from her for the release of her EP (and definitely some more guitars) but if this track was just an experiment to see “if she could”, it has proven that she most definitely can. 

If you are a fan of indie pop and are looking to support some smaller artists I recommend checking out ‘Miracle’ and the rest of Courtney Jacobs’ discography, her genre-blending range means that there is something that most fans of the genre will enjoy and with future releases imminent I will be keeping an eye on this underrated gem of the DIY indie scene.

Dilara Ball

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