jo from school is the opposite of a perfectionist

Photo by Lily Doidge

Jo Geller can trace the first songs she wrote back to when she was nine years old, grappling with the dramatics of primary school while sat at a piano in her north London home. She is now twenty-two years old and using the moniker ‘jo from school’ to release music that is lyrically intimate and softly rooted in folk, while experimenting with elements of electronic production and screamo. Her first three singles, ‘Chicken’, ‘Julia Roberts’ and ‘Weight’ have been met with praise from renowned publications such as Clash Magazine, who complimented ‘Weight’ for being “quietly intense and undeniably beautiful”, and Rolling Stone, who commended jo from school for “carving out a distinctive voice”. Said best by Babystep Magazine, jo from school “combines graceful songwriting with an instinct for imperfection”.

Following the singles, Jo’s first EP is being released on August 7^th via Chess Club Records, affectionately titled after a game that her father created to measure her swimming skills on three attributes: Grace, Flair and Distance. It is eagerly awaited by fans she continues to amass as she opens for the likes of Daffo, Esme Emerson, and Skullcrusher, across the UK and Europe.

How did you land on the name ‘jo from school’?

It started as a joke with my close friend, LJ, about knowing someone really intimately and really well, and then opening up your contacts and finding out you’re “Jo from university”. Using my surname felt very serious and I think it was the perfect way to show the lighthearted side of my music.

Who are your musical inspirations?

It changes every day. My all-time favourites are Elliott Smith and Smog. I’ve been listening to a lot of Pavement recently. Usually I’m into intensely sad lyrics, and I love how some of Pavement and Stephen Malkmus’ lyrics are so stupid, but they really work. It reminds me to have fun in my songwriting.

Do you have any lyrics on your upcoming EP ‘Grace, Flair and Distance’ that reflect that sense of fun?

In ‘Six Years of Keeping On’ I have a lyric dedicated to Joan Baez saying, “four letter word from Joan” which is just ‘Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word’. I was just to and from the studio listening to a lot of that song.

The lyric that sticks out to me from the singles is “staring at me like I’m a junior doctor”. How did that come about?

It was just about someone looking at me in a way that they thought that I could really help them, but I couldn’t because I’m not someone of use like a doctor.

And then “junior doctor”, I don’t know. You’re so right, that is one of the silliest lyrics for me. I completely forgot about the singles. I was trying to go deep cuts already.

Other than the name of your EP, how have the people around you influenced your music?

My friends give me inspiration all the time. Sometimes they come out with a blanket statement about how their life is going right now and I’ve been like, “wow, that needs to be a song”.

Even though my parents aren’t musical, they have incredible music taste. My friends say that my mum has the coolest taste ever. She has an indie 20-year-old girl taste. I’ve shown her a few bands I listen to and she loves them. I get that openness and creativeness from my parents.

Photo by Lily Doidge

What did you find most challenging when you were putting together the EP?

I’m not very good at finishing or following through with projects. Just as my emotions and ideas are, the music can feel quite fleeting for me, and I found it really hard to carry on songs that I’d mentally moved past or that I didn’t feel were as good as I thought they were when I started them. With help from my producer, Rich, I really learnt the craft of working on something when you aren’t too sure of it, because otherwise I would just be sitting with 200 verses of songs and no overall project.

Would you say you’re a perfectionist when it comes to your music?

I think I’m the opposite of a perfectionist. I definitely have strong ideas when it comes to music, but sometimes I find it hard to let go of takes that maybe were quite shoddy or unfinished. For me, when I listen back, I think about how that was how I wanted it to sound in the time so I should keep it like that. I’m a big over-thinker and if I were to try and get it perfect, I’d just have a terrible time.

What are you most proud of on this EP?

I’m really proud of the screams that are buried at the end of this song on the EP called ‘Underhand’. I’ve previously shied away from going in musical directions that I’ve always wanted to try, but with the help of my producer Rich I suggested screams at the end. I thought it would be shut down, but it’s in there. Every time I think of the EP, I think of that moment and get really chuffed that I was able to do something I’ve always wanted to try and not be tied down to a specific idea of the genre that I’m in.

What are your aspirations for the upcoming EP?

As a debut, I’m super proud of it and that it’s a fully fleshed out project of that time in my life. If someone listens to the project all the way through and enjoys every song, I think I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished something. It’s the people that matter to me, and if I can connect with someone then I’m spurred on to keep making stuff.

Listen to jo from school’s new EP on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube, and keep up to date with her on Instagram.