Imagine if the swarms of songs we got during the golden age of grungy power pop came out forty years later. Would Teenage Fanclub reference CoStar in “Star Sign”? Could we expect a hyper pop element in American Thighs? Probably not, and I doubt anyone has spent much time mulling over those dumb hypotheticals because those songs in themselves are timeless; the only constituent that truly tethers them to a sense of nostalgia is the sheer abundance of really good alternative rock they were birthed alongside. It is not often done well (or frankly, done at all) today, hence why you might be not truly convinced that Jawdropped’s staggering debut EP is a 2025 release until you hit the third track and a cheeky opening line about Venmo stalking pummels you back to the era of Sweet Green salads, online dating and “Instagram Face”. 

The LA based band was formed a little over a year ago by Kyra Morling, Sean Edwards and Roman Zangari, their ties to the city serving as integral a role in the project’s identity as their shared praise for the Lemonheads. The spirit of Los Angeles lingers throughout their debut EP, personifying the heaviest in final track and lead single “Star”, which explores the ventures of an ambiguous (and somewhat malnourished) caricature swept up in the stereotypes of Hollywood. Tucked between confident guitar riffs, catchy pop hooks and bursts of satire are also pockets of honest sincerity and introspection, and while they never kill the buzz of the EP’s ridiculously fun nature, they do elevate the complexity of the narrative the band has chosen to share. On standout track “Outside”, the tough enamel of sneering one liners wears thin as Jawdropped establishes feelings of social purgatory through a circling of the lines “a little on the outside / a little on the edge of in between” cushioned by a series of emotionally potent “lalalalalas”. Out today via Angel Tapes, Just Fantasy boasts nostalgia without ever presenting like a knock off, jamming strong vocal harmonies, jangly guitar and witty sincerity into five explosive, ridiculously fun and instantly classic melody-driven tracks that are damn-near impossible not to love. 

We recently got to sit down with Jawdropped to discuss inspirations, their unwavering pride for Los Angeles and debut EP, Just Fantasy.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Manon: So Just Fantasy is a debut  release, but I am so impressed by how clear of an identity and personality there is to Jawdropped and how that comes through on this EP. I would love to hear about the formation of the project and what went into creating this sound? 

Roman: We all met in LA, just through the music scene here. We have all played in other bands and had previous projects and were just mutual admirers of one another in terms of music. I had started some songs that did not fit with my other band and started working on some stuff with Kyra and then we were like let’s make this band. We got offered to play a friend’s house show in March of last year and it kind of galvanized everyone to try and create something

Sean: We all hung out at some hot springs one day for our homie’s birthday, and we talked about the Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub and Roman had these songs and we were all like “oh these are dope, let’s do it”. It kind of just worked really fast, sometimes you jam with people and you’re like okay cool probably won’t do that again, or this probably won’t go anywhere. But I feel like right off the rip when we started playing together and working on songs, shit was really easy and fun and felt worthwhile. It was never a question of ‘should we keep doing this’? It always felt very natural. 

Roman: We went to see Dando. 

Krya: Oh yeah. Did we see him around March? 

Sean: I think it was right around the time we started, we all went to see Evan Dando play solo and had a really fun night together. 

Manon: That’s Awesome. Okay so then the Lemonheads… would you say biggest inspiration for the project? 

Roman: I would say it’s the North Star, at least for the first batch of music 

Manon: You mentioned you met through the scene in LA. The city seems to play a pretty substantial role in Just Fantasy, can you tell me a bit more about your relationships to LA and how it influenced this EP? 

Roman: To me, it’s super important that there’s an identity to the band that is rooted in LA. “Star” is pretty on the nose, and some of the other stuff is as well, but I do think there’s a certain quality of music from LA that maybe we are trying to follow in the footsteps of, or just a lineage we want to be a part of. It’s intentional, I wouldn’t want somebody to hear the songs on the EP and be like “is this a band from New York?” I think it’s a point of pride, being located in LA. Cook is from LA, Sean is from Moha, so right outside. 

Kyra: You’ve lived here for years, and I’ve lived here for ten years. 

Roman: Yeah the music scene here is just very near and dear, and I think we’re trying to embrace that rather than shy away from it. 

Sean: Everyone plays well and everyone looks cool, I mean it’s the same as New York in that regard. To make it you have to have a sound and a cogent idea that you’re trying to hit because everyone is serious and everyone is good. I guess in a weird way it’s an industry town. So if you’re not really going for it and gunning for a sound and practicing a lot, there really isn’t a point. When all your friends are really good and all their bands are really good and doing a certain thing, it pushes you to be better. You don’t want to suck, because no one else does. 

Manon: Besides “not sucking”, which I’d say you’ve achieved, do you feel like that pressure, and being surrounded by so many talented artists, has impacted the project in any other way?

Roman: I honestly haven’t felt a ton of pressure. We’ve been lucky, since we’ve all been playing music in LA for such a long time and we know a lot of people so it has been pretty easy and mellow, it doesn’t feel like we are starting from scratch is I guess what I’m trying to say. I also think we are tapping into a different sound, one that I think is lacking in the scene. We just want to make power pop, catchy rock songs. Also we want to put on a good show so people want to go, maybe know the words, have a good time, but know that we’re putting it all out there. 

Manon: The EP is definitely catchy, and also I would say quite witty. Can you tell me a bit about your lyrics and the narratives you are creating? 

Roman: I gravitate to songs that tell stories, like Neil Young, Big Star, a lot of country stuff, Lucinda Wlliams. Songs that when you hear them it puts you in a place, and they’re about people you relate to or gravitate towards or just are kind of interested in. 

Kyra: I write kind of therapeutically. Also sometimes I get a song stuck in my head and it’s just repeating over and over, so I actually write fairly fast because we spend a lot of time in our cars here, so I’m constantly writing in the car or if I’m alone at the wine shop. It’s usually like a word vomit thing and then I just refine it over time. I guess I write more from feeling, and [Roman] is more focused on stories, maybe more observational.  

Roman: You know when you can’t tell if a band is talking about themselves or somebody else. It’s sometimes kind of nice to leave a little bit to the audience to apply meaning, you don’t give them the full story. You’re just kind of giving them a little. 

Sean: I feel like “Star” is as much about us as it is some third person we are making fun of, you know? I mean we… no one’s a stranger to you know, not eating right and maybe doing drugs. 

Kyra: And hanging out with models. 

Sean: Maybe you Kyra. Kyra hangs out with a lot of models.

Kyra: Cooks a model. He’s in the room with us right now. 

Just Fantasy is out everywhere today. You can order tapes via Angel Tapes.

Written by Manon Bushong | Featured photo Alyssa Soares