Jape
Hazy, bass-driven indie pop that bridges the gap between bedroom folk and late-night dancefloors. Warm analog synths for quiet rooms and loud nights.
Hazy, bass-driven indie pop that bridges the gap between bedroom folk and late-night dancefloors. Warm analog synths for quiet rooms and loud nights.
Jape sounds like the intersection of a quiet acoustic songwriter and a restless electronic producer. The music is anchored by Richie Egan's distinctive, low-slung basslines and a vocal delivery that feels like a whispered secret shared over a drum machine. It carries a specific Dublin grit softened by shimmering synth pads and a sense of childlike wonder, moving effortlessly from intimate folk-tinged moments to driving, danceable grooves.
What makes Jape truly distinctive is the 'stoner folk' sensibility applied to electronic structures. While many electronic acts aim for clinical precision, Jape embraces a warm, slightly dusty analog imperfection. The songs often feel like they were built in a sun-drenched bedroom but are sturdy enough to fill a festival tent, balancing quirky lyrical observations with deeply infectious melodic hooks that linger long after the track ends.
Start with the album 'Ritual' to hear the project at its most cohesive and celebrated. The track 'Floating' is the essential gateway, showcasing the effortless blend of acoustic warmth and electronic pulse that defined the Irish indie scene in the late 2000s. From there, move to 'This Chemical Sea' for a more polished, synth-heavy evolution of the sound.
Jape are an Irish electronic–rock band from Dublin. Formed as a side project by Richie Egan whilst part of The Redneck Manifesto, they have released five albums to date; Cosmosphere (2003), The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me (2004), Ritual (2008), Ocean of Frequency (2011), and This Chemical Sea (2015). Jape's wider discography includes the EP, Jape is Grape (2007), as well as a number of singles, including "Floating" and "Phil Lynott". The band have performed at festivals and events such as Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Lovebox and Hard Working Class Heroes and provided support for The Flaming Lips at Belsonic in Belfast in August 2008. The first and second albums received airplay on alternative national radio in Ireland. The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me's opening track, "Floating", became a popular single on late night alternative music radio shows and attracted the attention of Brendan Benson during a visit to Dublin. Benson now covers the track whilst performing live with his band The Raconteurs, as do the Belgian bastard pop duo Soulwax during their DJ sets. Jape's third album, Ritual, was released in June 2008, later winning the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2008. The album features the singles "I Was a Man", "Strike Me Down" and "Phil Lynott", the latter of which was subject to an unsuccessful petition by fans to have it named Ireland's Christmas number one single in December 2008. The album Ocean of Frequency was released in 2011 and won Jape their second Choice Music Prize in March 2012.
Shares indie pop, synth-pop, indie rock (subgenres); lo fi, analog warmth, drum machine (production style)
Shares indie pop, indie rock, synth-pop (subgenres); playful, wistful, bittersweet (moods)
Shares playful, wistful, bittersweet (moods); indie pop, dance-pop, synth-pop (subgenres)
Shares indie pop, synth-pop, indie rock (subgenres); gentle, breathy, deadpan (vocal style)
Shares gentle, breathy, deadpan (vocal style); analog warmth, bedroom production, layered dense (production style)
Shares synth-pop, dance-pop, indie pop (subgenres); bedroom production, lo fi, drum machine (production style)
Shares indie pop, synth-pop, indie rock (subgenres); bedroom production, lo fi, layered dense (production style)
Shares indie rock, indie pop, synth-pop (subgenres); analog warmth, bedroom production, lo fi (production style)
Shares bedroom production, playful, dance-pop, joyful (signature)
Shares bedroom production, indie rock, synth-pop, indie pop (signature)
Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →
