This Friday, June 24, Portland’s Jessica Boudreaux —known as the creative force behind indie-punk band Summer Cannibals (Tiny Engines, Kill Rock Stars) — will release her brand new I Think My Heart Loves to Break EP, with critical acclaim. Now, she shares the final single from the collection, “Loves to Break.” Backed by rolling bass and infectious electronic elements, the noir-pop track details the cycle of being drawn to someone despite persistent heartbreak. The punk energy that defined Summer Cannibals still resonates in a form of direct intent, as she contemplates surrender, asking: “Wonder if I drop it all, I’ll stop hitting the same old fucking walls.” But in place of the massive distorted guitars, the song’s intensity comes from a careful and considered orchestration of sounds flowing over a steady beat and allowing Boudreaux’s signature vocals to shine.

A stronghold of the indie music community, Jessica is a music and film producer, built her own Pet Club recording studio and record label, as well as appearing in a new Fender campaign and illustrating the latest issue of Sadie Dupuis’ Wax Nine Journal zine. Working in her own studio in Portland, Boudreaux produced, mixed and handled all of the musical duties on I Think My Heart Loves to Break with friends Eric Slick (Dr. Dog, Waxahatchee) providing drums on ”Disaster” and Erik Carlson providing synth leads on “Loves to Break”. Jessica Boudreaux’s new record completes the shift from the high-intensity sonic barrage of a full band to a solo, unvarnished exploration of lush, emotionally resonant pop music.

The elegant, percussive compositions and silky noir-pop sheen of the EP are a fitting soundtrack to the tumultuous period she spent creating it. Having canceled a year’s worth of touring with Summer Cannibals due to the pandemic, Boudreauxwasdiagnosed with cancer in November of 2020. As she navigated the following year and a half of treatment and recovery, the very act of finishing the nascent record ultimately became one of healing. Swelling with the sounds of all that came before and the imagined joy of what’s to come, I Think My Heart Loves to Break is a tableau of healing, redemption and the melancholy joy of desire.

Photo Courtesy: Dana Halferty