Married couple Sarah Ruba and Adam Pavao of New Look are based in New York City, and though that's not rare for young musicians, it still seems important to their music. “Janet” may or may not be an homage to Indiana’s Janet Jackson, an important ’80s influence for all electronic dance music, but it echoes the staccato Manhattan boogie of songs like Lonzine Wright’s “Stop the Taxi,” the type of female-sung anthems that served as a bridge between the city’s disco heyday and the New Jack Swing from Harlem’s Teddy Riley. Like its ancestors, the song is caught between two poles and finds a money spot: “Janet” has the pluck and pulse of a colder groove, but warm soulful vocals make it urgent.
Download: New Look, "Janet"