Kevin Bronson on February 4th, 2021

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Jacklen Ro is the musical project that combines the talents of Caelen Perkins and Jacqueline Giroux, pals since they met as teenagers at Idyllwild Arts Boarding School. Their smart, exuberant indie-pop is driven not by production tricks, electronic beats or subservience to algorithms, but by a chemistry that manifests itself in harmonies, humor and a contagious sense of wonder.

If there’s a BFA in Elation, they’re acing the coursework.

“Hollywood, I’m Good” is the first sampling of an EP they made with producer Iggy Gonzalez for Lolipop Records (release date, TBA). Despite their youth, the pair have released plenty of music (including Giroux’s series of covers on YouTube), but this was their maiden voyage in a formal studio setting.

The single is the kind of tune that can sweep you out of your doldrums.

“It’s about moving on from a relationship with a partner who was not willing to move on — being GOOD but finding out that your ex is upset and stuck on you,” the duo says.

“For us, going to Hollywood was like leaving the girl from the small town … not only leaving the girl behind, but leaving your whole life …. and daring to venture into the big city. We did go to Hollywood and that was literal, but it was also a metaphor for leaving the tiny, small-town world for a giant city world of new people, new ideas and adventure.”

Director Saoli Nash and cinematographer Caleb Knowles worked with the duo over two days of driving around and avoiding people and COVID-19.

“For the video we had the idea of two kids going from a small town to the big city, hitting the skids, not having enough money and spazzing out, realizing how difficult is was to adapt to the lifestyle of the city,” Jacklen Ro says. “But in the end, no matter where you are, if you are together as friends you can enjoy yourself.”

||| Watch: The video for “Hollywood (I’m Good)”

||| Previously: See our 2020 holiday playlist for “C U Christmas Day”