I’m extremely confident that if you’re a fan of late ‘90s and early 2000s teen rom coms, Mary Jane platform shoes, and WB television programming you will love “backporch” by CJ Wiley. From their forthcoming EP Just Can’t Quit, out September 9 via Arts & Crafts, the Toronto singer and songwriter isn’t so explicitly pulling from these cultural touchpoints on the track—or even directly referencing this era. But my feeling is this type of youthful whimsy and romance from the not-so-distant past is imprinted all over the song.
“backporch” is a snapshot of what it feels like to fall in love with a brand new to you person. Sonically, the song feels like it belongs under twinkling lights at twilight in an era overrun with Delia’s catalogues and Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper Lipsmackers. The chorus swells and breaks like the tide on the beach with its sharp infusion of ’90s alt rock and pop. CJ Wiley’s “backporch” is gooey and bright in all of the ways you want a love song like this to be, and, honestly, may make you put butterfly clips in your hair.
Written by: CJ Wiley
Publisher: Arts & Crafts Publishing
Photo by: Victoria McEwan