JES - Dreamer (2026)

If you prefer your pop music to come with a side order of grace and cinematics – a very big side order at that – then you have come to the right place. Sure, the music that JES gives us on her latest album, the perfectly titled Dreamer, is contagious and commercially minded, but it is also tasteful and deftly done. Pop music, sure, but pop music that over-delivers…and when was the last time that happened? Not for a long while, I’d guess.

‘(You Make Every Day Feel Like) Sunday’ is a dreamy and subtle way to kick off the album, a song that celebrates the comfort and safety that the right person brings to your life, but also a song whose dream-state vibe, shimmering sonics and chiming guitars lay out her style perfectly.

‘Be Good (To Yourself)’ speaks volumes about the album: its soul-soaked ambience and gentle understatement remind us that JES wanders far and wide from that pop/dancefloor place, while reinforcing its overall message of soul-searching and resilience, hope, optimism, and strength.

The title track does wander some more obvious dance-driven paths, even if those paths ultimately lead to the chilled room of the most discerning club in town sometime in the early hours; but this is balanced out by the seductive dream-soul of ‘Take Me Away’ and the poignant and stripped-back piano ballad that is ‘Talk About The Weather.’

Dreamer is a fantastic album, one forged from sensuous sonics and gossamer textures, empowering lyrics and ambient grace. And if it is pop, as I keep alluding to, then it is safe to say that this is pop for a new audience, a new generation…a new age.