ABOUT

Fusing lush electronic instrumentation with atmospheric, layered vocals, Chicago synth-pop band Course weaves elements of dream-pop, 90s new-wave, alt-electronic, and indie rock into their breezy, ethereal-meets-industrial sound. Fronted by multifaceted lead singer and songwriter Jess Robbins, the group draws inspiration from a broad spectrum that includes Canadian indie-pop act Alvvays and genre-bending favorites Radiohead. After establishing herself as a solo artist with her acclaimed 2018 release Lightfield, Robbins formed Course in 2019, showcasing contributions from a rotating cast of top-tier musicians and friends, most notably background vocalist Jamie Semel and Dan Ingenthron who plays keys and bass.

Course dropped their self-titled debut album in 2021: a dreamy, synth-pop collection ofintricate narratives drawn from both imagination and real life. A clear departure from Robbin’s more subdued solo work, the elegant, upbeat album is not without somber moments (see “Henry,” which recounts a friend’s suicide by train from a mother’s perspective). While writing the album’s lyrics, Robbins also created a short story collection, elaborating each track with the depth of an accompanying fictional world. Called “dreamy” and “hypnotic” by Chicago Magazine, Course’s sophomore album Tight Feathers was released in 2023 and produced remotely by Kyle Andrews via weekly Zoom sessions (with vox recorded in-person at Chicago’s Jamdek Studios). The album features a more developed, atmospheric sound backing the characteristic narrative anthems. Hovering tone-wise between sweet, carefree, overwhelming, and ominous, Tight Feathers is laced with sharp reflections on the busyness of modern life. “It’s about embracing the chaotic onslaught of life and savoring its complexities—all while protecting your inner self,” says Robbins. Delicately layered instrumentation (modular synths, analog drum machines, acoustic and electric guitar, bass) blooms with new textures as the songs unfold. Occasionally drifting into nostalgic territory in the vein of Best Coast or Tennis, the songs are vibey but never saccharine: There remains a familiar anxiety at the root of each track, grounding the music firmly in the confusion of the modern world.

Course’s third album Hue Mirror, also produced by Andrews, delves into more personal territory both physically and emotionally. Diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease that targets the spine in April 2024, Robbins crafted the eight songs during a period fraught with unease about her own health and future, transforming elements from her journey into atmospheric cues in her music. The resulting album is intricately composed and more raw than previous releases: playful digital moments dissolve into rich orchestral swells, while the lyrics reflect a vulnerable human grappling with sublime difficulties. In “MRI,” the harsh whirring of medical machinery is softened into a soothing, womb-like textural backdrop. “Paper Airplanes,” written after learning of bone density risks associated with her illness, touches on the existential terror of frailty. “Clouds” uses symbolic language to explore a very real side effect Robbins experienced—not being able to breathe deeply as muscles in the spine, ribcage, and sternum contract involuntarily. “It’s a somber album about anticipating aging with a chronic illness, which means accepting the changes that come and truly experiencing life,” says Robbins. “I wrote this for others living with chronic pain and illness, for anyone facing that kind of impending, unknown future.” Each song on Hue Mirror has a corresponding meditation track—a droning, slowed-down version designed to induce a more relaxed state of awareness—and all album proceeds will be donated to fund further medical research. Following Hue Mirror, Course will drop their first cover single, “Believer”. Written by Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, who shares Robbins’ ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis, the song reflects the range of emotions that follow a devastating diagnosis—and the strength required to carry on living with that knowledge.