Not Enough (Official Video)
"Not Enough" by Mean Jolene From the album 'Try Harder' Resurrection Records and Austin Town Hall Release on 09/06/2019 www.meanjolene.com Directed by Andy Campbell andycampbell-cp.squarespace.com
Dark Harmony (Official Video)
"Dark Harmony" by Mean Jolene From the album "Try Harder" available now from Austin Town Hall Records and Resurrection Records. www.meanjolene.com Directed and edited by Mean Jolene members, Adam Sharp and Steven Garcia.
Sick of Love (Bedroom Remix)
Cover of Weezer’s “Island In The Sun” April 2020
Flipped Switch (LIVE)
New song by Austin, TX indie/power-pop/punk band Mean Jolene. Live footage captured by Will Campbell.
Glory Daze (Live Acoustic)
Upcoming Shows
About
Reviews
photograph by Vicious Velma
“…for their second record the band have taken a more vulnerable approach, without losing any of their rambunctious qualities. Glory Daze does just that, as the lyrics chart discovering the person you need, even if you are surprised who that turned out to be, “I get in trouble when I feel I don’t belong who knew that you would be the cure all along”. Musically, the track plays out on fizzing guitar solos and euphoric driving rhythms, as Jolie Cota Flink’s vocals drift in and out of musical focus.” - For The Rabbits
"Not Enough" opens the album as Flink reveals, "I have done nothing wrong but I feel so ashamed/ I'm left unsatisfied now, my desire's to blame," her sugarcoated vocals throughout often betraying point-blank lyricism and emotional nudity. Outwardly grappling with self-worth, lost connections, and the bad choices we continue to make into whatever nebulous kind of adulthood this town grants us, Flink's rigid lyrical content is given levity by the quintet's well-informed pop hooks, an audible crate-digging adventure pulling in like-minded threads from Nikki Corvette, Holly Beth Vincent, and Kim Deal. - The Austin Chronicle
Image captured by KUTX
After nearly three years Austin based Mean Jolene, make a mockery of the difficult sophomore axiom with another album that simultaenously pushes the boundaries of both modern day power-pop, jangle-pop and the strength/vulnerability continuum, that is always conveyed in their core sound. - Janglepophub
Biography
In the summer of 2015, After a turbulent period involving some health issues and break ups, Jolie Cota Flink started writing songs that eventually became Mean Jolene’s 10-song debut LP, “Salty”. The album expresses themes of extreme highs and lows and on the surface could be considered a diss album, laced with bitterness, heartache and tongue-in-cheek snottiness, but it’s also a sincere album about self-acceptance.
Sophomore album, “Try Harder” (released September of 2019), features 10 songs that are expansive, ambitious and more mature than previous efforts; the album is a synthesis of influences such as Shonen Knife, Nikki and the Corvettes and the Breeders. “Try Harder” is Mean Jolene’s deepest journey yet into melodic, towering power-pop with roaring guitar riffs over dynamic, effected rhythm guitar and layered vocal harmonies.
Mean Jolene’s aesthetic started with empowered femininity and devil-may-care attitudes, but it has evolved into a juxtaposition of vulnerable lyrics and a larger-than-life persona delivering them, backed by upbeat, energetic pop music. Try Harder explores and celebrates this duality, but things have not always been so cut and dry. A palpable pain is ingrained in the narrative of the songs and in the album as a whole; Jolie expands on extreme feelings of love, loss and the challenges of navigating the world with emotional disorder.
Mean Jolene’s present lineup features Jolie (Vocals), Adam Sharp (Drums) and Ali Ditto (Guitar), Steven Garcia (Guitar) and Maud Morgan (Bass Guitar).
photograph by Al Giesler
Booking: joleneismean@gmail.com