Somewhere over a cauldron of boiling water and mugwort, punk band Um, Jennifer can be found chanting the lyrics to unreleased singles as part of an attention-seeking ritual devoted to their deity called Jennifer. Fig Regan and Eli Scarpati are the duo behind this New York-based pop rock band, whose music permeates with mythology and camaraderie. The band is nearly a year off the release of their debut album, Um Comma Jennifer Question Mark, with songs Old Grimes and Went On T which introduced the earnest yet playful world of Um, Jennifer. Many of their songs explore transness and subconscious motivations with unabashed guitar, dynamic vocals and moments of brevity in cheeky asides. Listening to their music feels as though you are speaking in a secret language, in on the jokes like one of the Friends. In the months since their first album, Um, Jennifer has been settling into their groove as a pair, learning the other’s tastes and collaborating on a set of singles, one of which, Comedy 42, will premiere on February 7th at Baby's All Right.

The band’s latest single, Stunning, is an enchanted welcome into Um Jennifer’s new era which they affectionately refer to as Dirty Twice. On his way to a circus-themed house party, the first verse and punchy texture caught Eli off guard, leading him to travel an hour, face in notes app, in the wrong direction. Stunning eventually crept up onto the rock pair, patched together from bits of scribbled lyrics, textures, and melodies. The single beckons you in, exploring desire through the perspective of a character whose charm disguises their more untrustworthy intentions below. Operating like a fairytale, we follow their journey into temptation, complicated by deception and transformation. We are lured into lowering our defenses, into a pleasure so potent it borders pain. The tone is provoking, at times emphasizing impulses through repetition– saying “it’s hot, it's hot, it's hot” or “I want you, I want you, I want you” – and at others, reassures with the promise that “nothing can go wrong”. The first verse calls it cunning, the way they've come undone, but by the top of chorus a pleading voice begs “Bleed me dry, spit in my eye”. 

The desire laid bare in this song is visceral and complex, as it's uncertain if the narrator or subject is being seduced. This duality is central to the ethos of Um, Jennifer's Dirty Twice era, which doesn't shy away from the world built in their first album but doubles down on their punk ethos. It emphasizes intentional messiness, with songs that feel lived in like a pair of unwashed jeans. Their color palette transitioned from an eager teal blue into a burning red – a red they've earned with grit and calluses from playing too hard. Fig describes the origin of the era’s moniker, saying “You can be dirty once, and people think you’ve made a mistake, but if you’re dirty twice, people know you really mean it.” Stunning is a fitting introduction to this era, as it leads with quiet brutality. Dirty Twice embraces emotion without the need to explain it, rejecting gimmicks and pleas for approval in favor of raw, sometimes messy, truths. 

It’s radical to express yourself honestly–with some ums and ahs, without fear or shame– especially in our increasingly reductive social-political climate. As the mainstream continues to regress into a more rigid conservatism, Um, Jennifer serves as a refreshing space. They are rife with authentic punk energy as two trans musicians rocking out to their lived experiences, ones as specific yet resonant as the shifting relationship dynamics after starting to take hormones or running into an ex on Delancey St. Um, Jennifer has built a rich community that deeply resonates with their music and spirit. Fig recounted a rockstar moment where a fan thanked her after a show; a simple gesture, but one of sincere acknowledgement and solidarity. This understanding goes beyond the music, found bumping shoulders with other trans punk rock enthusiasts on a Saturday night at an Um, Jennifer show. Eli expressed that meeting Fig and creating the band gave him a trans community he didn't otherwise have. Dirty Twice is digging into the energy Um, Jennifer has created as a forceful presence in the NYC indie rock scene, promising a grittier and more glamorous future.