This Is Our Jam Premieres: Karlie Bruce, “Paperback Lover”

Australian folk-rock singer Karlie Bruce is one of the many voices behind 17-piece Brooklyn disco project Escort. After years of honing her chops as a solo artist (including a gig at Carnegie Hall with jazz musicians Matt Wilson and Larry Goldings), Bruce will release her debut LP Paperback Lover on September 4.

The title track is a powerful piece of jazz-inflected songwriting in the vein of Fiona Apple or Cat Power and far removed from the high-energy party music of her other band. While Bruce has support from fantastic players, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Brian Chase, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ Hagar Ben-Ari, and Chris Parrello of Things I Wonder, “Paperback Lover" puts Bruce's sultry vocals at the forefront. After singing backup in a group with so many members, hearing Bruce on her own makes you wonder why she didn’t step into the spotlight sooner.