Boys Go To Jupiter’s latest EP, Now You’re a Circle, is a masterclass in emotional storytelling woven through eclectic sounds and vibrant instrumentation. The EP reflects organic collaboration within the band, resulting in a captivating collage of experiences and imaginative theatricality. Boys Go To Jupiter intertwine the rawness of classical instruments with modern lyrical elements, and it makes the EP come alive. Now You’re a Circle is a body of music that feels and breathes with you.
The Brooklyn-based indie trio, composed of Jess Kantorowitz (lead singer/songwriter), Caleb Martin-Rosenthal (keys/songwriter) and Luke Volkert (guitar/songwriter/producer), began their genre-bending journey in the summer of 2022. In addition to the main trio, the band’s energetic sound exudes even more passion when played live with their accompanying instrumentalists: Stephen Ellison (drums), Lucas Mastromatteo (bass), Evan Lane (trumpet) and Will Kendall (trombone). Their debut album, Meet Me After Practice, was released in early 2025, and their sound and connection have only strengthened over the course of a year, with their latest EP harnessing all of their experience and intuition across eight tracks.
A track bursting with a boppy piano and embracing horns, the EP opens with “Sunshine (never trust anyone named jeanette).” The instrumentals mirror the iconic jazz characteristic of improvisation, and this musical intuition makes the listener feel as though the band are playing off one another in a single take. The theatricality of the music aligns with the theatricality of the storyline, as it reflects on the unshakable desire to know someone deeply and how that results in both successes and failures. Kantorowitz expresses the themes and lyrics with an air of sarcastic, bitter optimism that only her voice could capture so organically, “Oh but the birds keep chirping and the / Leaves keep shaking and the / Dawn each morning like your / Heart, keeps breaking.” Underscored by faint moments of screaming in the background and emotion-filled belts, “Sunshine (never trust anyone named jeanette)” is a swirl of pessimism, optimism and realism that encapsulates the pursuit of connection.
Following this is “Wake Up Layla,” a track layered with subtle, urgent drum taps and floaty electric guitar, alongside violins that sweep in to enhance the song’s conflict. It unveils the hidden pain of a friend trapped in a harmful, isolating relationship, conveyed beautifully in the line, “So you’re going home with him, but you’re sleeping alone.” The track has the same love and desperation one feels when someone you care about is not thinking clearly, but you can’t seem to pull them out of that haze. The vocals sink deeper into emotion as Kantorowitz pleads, “Wake up,” towards the end of the song that linger in the back. As the band described in an Instagram post, “Our new single ‘Wake Up Layla’ is kind of like wanting to slap your best friend in the face and then kiss her on the mouth.”
With a groovy bassline, “Do It Over” invites listeners into a world where one wants to live in the happy delusion of a crumbling relationship. Here, acceptance of the bad in order to cling onto the good resonated profoundly: “You don’t say you love me much / But I let it go.” There is a twinge of madness in wanting to keep the mirage of love alive and to simply “do it over.” The slipping mask of casualness in the vocals that try to hide the desperation truly represents the intense need to fix the romantic dynamics and to glaze over the insecurities that arise from it.
Transitioning into “…and Over,” the listener enjoys a funky, engaging instrumental interlude that carries the energy of the previous track, leading into “Flying Machine.” With plucky acoustic guitar and airy flute-like notes, this song generates a sense of reluctant freedom, pushing forth the anxious emotional tug-of-war of wanting to keep a loved one in your life, while also wanting them to have their own freedom.
Moving into “Revenge Tour,” Boys Go To Jupiter shamelessly indulge in the playful pettiness of modern post-breakup behavior. Ignited by cymbal taps and carried by rapid piano hits, “Revenge Tour” showcases the band’s talent for building tension as they use abrupt stops in the instrumentals to emphasize the absurdity of the situation. The lyrics focus on an ex-partner who is acting self-indulgently after the breakup, causing almost a second-hand embarrassment for both the narrator and listener, “Ok you’re out with your new friend / Ok she’s got a famous name / And ok she looks like me / I guess to you it feels the same.” The build-up to the last chorus ignites the same fire emotion within the listener as the narrator feels, capturing the utter annoyance of an ex’s behavior while also relishing the fact that you’re no longer with them.
“Handstand” introduces a fairytale-esque shimmer with acoustic strums that accompany the piano like an old friend. The atmosphere surrounding the track is reminiscent, encasing each note with the bittersweetness of nostalgia and memories. The vocals release into emotion as the desire to travel back and live inside a memory becomes overpowering, “And hear the crickets sing that same old hymn / Just for a moment to forget we’re changing.” There is a universal rawness surrounding the experience of growing up and trying to navigate change, “Handstand” relinquishes control to these feelings.
The catharsis of “Handstand” leads the listener into the final track of the EP, “ii. The Rules of You.” The dreamy lightness of the guitar and piano, mixed with the tender falsetto vocals, echoes the sentiments of love lost and the painful necessity of reflecting on feelings once cherished, “You know how I knew? / Something good happened / I didn’t feel like telling you.” With this, there is a sense of emotional transformation that comes out of the dread, and an air of hope reflected by the violins that swell in and out.
There’s the common ache in the longing to not regret the person or relationship, and to still hold onto the flickering light of hope, “It’s not as simple as the sky / It’s not as simple as the sea / But maybe it could be.” The final moments of the song, and the EP, are the most raw and the most vulnerable vocals yet, barely above a broken whisper. Despite the hurt, there is still a glimmer of gratitude for connection, and for allowing another person to know you.
With Now You’re a Circle, Boys Go To Jupiter proves once again that they not only take passion from their craft, but are utterly fearless in laying every emotion on the table. This EP provides a beautiful space for listeners to sink into the soulful experiences that come alive through sweeping instrumentals, with each song hitting your heart in surprising, yet comforting ways.
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