Jesca Hoop shares new version of 'Simon Says'
Selective Memory, a stripped-back reimagining of Memories Are Now, out October 24th
California-born, Manchester-based singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop has shared a new unplugged version of her track 'Simon Says'. The single is the second to be taken from Selective Memory - a live, unplugged reworking of her acclaimed 2017 Memories Are Now (Sub Pop). Joining the cast of stripped back album versions for her first three releases, this new collection finds Hoop and her two bandmates, Chloe Foy and Rachel Rimmer, capturing the record in its entirety live in Hoop’s Manchester home.
Of the new single, Hoop says:
"In Simon Says I am speaking from my Gen X perspective. Oh how times have changed. I thank the heavens that my childhood was feral and free and that I knew every climbing tree."
Opening the door to an intimate performance space, Selective Memory shines a new light on one of Hoop’s most beloved albums. Raw and immediate in its delivery, the record brims with luminous harmonies, lyrical richness and unguarded emotion. It is sweet and bitter, fresh and raw, and very much of the moment.
Though a return to songs first written over a decade ago, Hoop notes their continued urgency:
“Though I wrote these songs 12 years ago, strangely they feel so very relevant to me today. And the album ends in one hell of a protest song… if I do say so myself.”
Selective Memory follows Hoop’s stripped-back renditions of her first two records, aligning with that same “rough and ready” aesthetic that prizes sincerity over polish. It also gestures toward a fertile new chapter, arriving as a prelude to a wave of fresh work from the artist.
Hoop’s story is one of music finding its way to the right ears. Discovered by Tom Waits, invited on tour by Peter Gabriel, and encouraged to relocate to the UK by Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Hoop has since carved out a singular path across six albums of original material. Collaborations with producers John Parish (PJ Harvey), Blake Mills (Feist), and Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers) have only sharpened the intricacy of her craft. Her expertly constructed songs, rooted in folk but reaching fearlessly outward, are harmonic curiosities teeming with bright ideas and rich emotions.
Tour Dates:
22/11 – NL, The Hague - PAARD
23/11 – BE, Antwerp - Rock Lobster
25/11 – UK, Colchester - Colchester Arts Centre
26/11 – UK, Oxford - Jericho
27/11 – UK, Brighton - Ironworks Studios
28/11 – UK, Twyford - St Marys Church
29/11 – UK, Falmouth - King Charles the Martyr Church
02/12 – UK, Birmingham - Kitchen Garden
03/12 – UK, Coventry - The Tin Music & Arts
04/12 – UK, York - NCEM
05/12 – UK, Glasgow - Hug & Pint
07/12 – UK, Aberdeen - DELVE
09/12 – UK, London -The Golden Hinde
10/12 – UK, Deal - The Lighthouse
12/12 – UK, Chester - St Marys Church
13/12 – UK, Manchester - Halle St Michaels
The Songs Of Joni Mitchell w/ Kate Stables and Lail Arad:
13/10 – UK, Glasgow - Old Fruitmarket
14/10 - UK, Manchester - Stoller Hall
16/10 - UK, Bath - Komedia
17/10 - UK, Bristol - The Lantern
18/10 - UK, Brighton - St George’s Church
28/10 – IE, Galway - Town Hall Theatre
29/10 - IE, Limerick - Dolan’s Warehouse
30/10 - IE, Dublin - 3Olympia Theatre *
13/11 - UK, London - 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire *^
17/11 - FR, Paris - Casino de Paris
20/11 - AT, Vienna - Blue Bird Festival
* With special guests Lisa Hannigan & Loah
^ With special guest Simon Armitage & LYR
Connect with Jesca Hoop online:
