Video premiere: Royaljag, ‘909’

Kevin Bronson on March 28th, 2019

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Moves? Inland Empire trio Royaljag has a few. And they show off some of them in the video for the new song “909” — an homage to the area code they call home and a video so endearing your face might might get cramps from smiling so hard.

To review, Royaljag are twins Jay and Roland Garcia and best friend David Ajoku, who released their first EP “Chameleon” in 2017 and have spent months making friends in the 213 with their addictive style of music. They call it “chameleon pop,” a blend of sleek, synth-strafed R&B, funk and disco. Remember when New Jack Swing was a thing? The guys in Royaljag weren’t born yet, but when they were kids somebody played them the right Janet Jackson and Teddy Riley albums, and they’ve run with it.

Director Alexander Gilbert’s video is done like an infomercial, promising to show you 909 dance moves. We love that it doesn’t omit our favorite clubgoer — “the guy in the corner” — but it’s very likely you won’t be able to stand with your hands in your pockets very long.

“For ‘909,’ we wanted to make a fun video that both showcased different pieces of us while also illustrating how all three of us are often on the same wavelength,” the trio says. “This song was inspired by our frequent long drives back to the 909. With more opportunities in music outside of San Bernardino, we find ourselves making long drives to L.A. a lot and drifting into our thoughts and dreams. It was so much fun making this video and can’t wait to come up with more cool concepts for videos as we prepare to release our second EP this summer.”

That new EP, “I Don’t Know How I Got Here,” arrives later this summer.

||| Watch: The video for “909”