Jaguar Jonze’s Powerful New EP ‘victim impact statement’
The title of Jaguar Jonze’s latest EP victim impact statement paints a story of a thousand words; a story that has followed Jonze through the frontlines of Australia’s #MeToo movement as an advocate for assault survivors, and out the other side.
Image credit: Dusky Jones
Jonze’s multidisciplinary approach to her latest work is beautiful, elegant. A reclamation of autonomy, both artistically and personally as she sheds the constraints of expectations to give us something new.
Jonze holds our hands as we walk alongside her; the powerful lyrics of ‘whiplash’ cut through the past 5 years as she sings “It’s in the past, but I’m still right there”. Jonze’s acoustics are stripped back, raw and emotionally charged; the softness of her voice superseded with power and precision.
It leads into ‘nothing left’, is a poignant message of her treatment in the public eye and the ‘perfect victim’ that she was demanded to play. True to its namesake, Jonze pours out her pain until she has nothing left. Her voice is soft and melodious as she painstakingly sings ‘society, have you got enough of me?’.
The closing track, ‘full stop’ feels final. A closure of one chapter and the start of another. As we reach the height of the song, Jonze’s voice is loud and more powerful, ‘this is where I move on’. A message carved out in her lyrics for herself alone.
The accompanying short film is visually beautiful and creatively moving. Seductive and self-assured, Jonze masterfully chronicles her journey through the past five years; what starts as a visual that feels almost suffocating, the closing scenes depict a free Jonze coupled with a sense of new beginning.
Jaguar Jonze has poured the most vulnerable parts of herself into ‘victim impact statement’ in an immaculate return to her artistry that we have all been missing.
Image credit: Dusky Jones
