Jimkata: In Motion

Ithaca electronic rock trio Jimkata will released In Motion, their third full-length album and sixth release overall, in February 2016. In Motion is a triumph of swirling analogue synths and breezy pop hooks that makes your body groove. But dig deeper and you’re rewarded with something more... personal.

"There's a lot of great music out there that makes you move, but you don't remember it afterwards," says Jimkata frontman Evan Friedell. "We're OK with displaying our emotional side. I think we have a little bit of soul. We're embracing all the things that make classic songs."

This added emotional gravitas is borne partially out of trust. Friends since middle school, Friedell, Aaron Gorsch (synths) and Packy Lunn (drums) infuse Jimkata -- which, yes, is named after the so-bad-it's-good 1985 gym-fu caper Gymkata--with both an adventurous musical streak and an emotional core.

In Motion marks the band's second fan-funded record through PledgeMusic. Unusual rhythms and vintage synths fuel the album's first half, highlighted by the pop earworm ‘Wild Ride’ and the melancholia of ‘Jumping Out of Airplanes’. Halfway through, the album shifts to a more progressive, guitar-based affair, led by the percussive funk of ‘Innocence’. It's an adventurous album, one that could find a home equally amongst fans of Yeasayer, LCD Soundsystem or Tom Petty.

Lyrically, In Motion doesn't centre on any one theme. "I sort of discover what I'm writing about later," says the singer. "And I don’t always know where the inspiration comes from. But overall, these are songs about processing adversity."

(Themes that certainly resonate with the band's fans. "We've had people tattoo our lyrics on their arms. That was a revelation to me -- we're doing something right.")

And for Jimkata, it’s about finding the right energy -- that balance between heart and mind.

Says Friedell: "Ideally, we're writing songs where someone says, 'I know that feeling. That song picks me up. It has real meaning to me.'"