- Jennifer Janz
KARLY JEWELL - DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
The new release for Australian music artist Karly Jewell is an alluring alternative pop-rock track that incorporates a few styles while revealing a knack for creating sneakily infectious melodies.

The new single follows a series of releases, including Karly’s 2019 album Phoenix. The Melbourne based singer-songwriter began her career at a young age, going on to win the nomination for Up and Coming Rock band in the Vegas Rock Magazine awards in 2014. This accolade was followed by an electronic rock crossover project that hit the top 5 positions in the Triple J Unearthed Dance, Electronic and Rock charts.
With an opening line like, ‘Bleeding from the scars, bleeding from the scars, tore me apart’, one would expect a much darker sound; however, despite the presence of chugging distorted guitars and a few melancholic-sounding attributes, the song’s apex is the subtle hook of the chorus, with its chime of ‘Don’t need nobody to save me.’
Dancing with the Devil stretches the rock-pop genre this way and that, part post-grunge, part emo, and it even contains a few classic Australian pub rock traits. Although the centrepiece of the track might be Karly’s vocal performance, there is also a band—Adrian Kluke (guitar), David Beaton (bass guitar) and Mariano Marcos (drums) —who do an excellent job, their expertise easily discernible.

‘Bluesy and soulful, with lashings of vocals and a kind of swaggering charm with such a disparate temperament, it almost feels like another track.
As Karly says about her creative process, ‘It’s normally the hook I work on first then find the best way to tell this story. After I put most of it together, it’s time to get the band in the studio and let it all fall into place.’
Dancing with the Devil blurs the border between pop and rock, fashioning a contemporary style while paying homage to the emo rock genre. Dancing with the Devil is a personal transformation channelled into a relatable musical experience. As Karly says about the creative process, ‘Bringing your story to life is the best part’.
LISTEN TO KARLY JEWELL HERE: