Jenny Sorto

Hannah Judge aka fanclubwallet releases her debut EP Hurt Is Boring, which came together while in isolation due to illness. The Ottawa-based artist showcases her straightforward lyrics and bedroom pop sensibilities on her five-track project.

The story of Hurt Is Boring began after the release of Judge’s breakthrough single “Car Crash in G Major” when she was hospitalized due to a Crohn’s disease flare up. Retreating to her childhood home bedridden, Judge began working on the songs that would make up her first EP. Confronting themes of emotional distance, relationships and boredom in her lyrics, Judge describes her songwriting as, “emo shit that doesn’t sound emo.”

The lead single “C’mon Be Cool” expresses the sentiment of being in a different place emotionally than those around you. Judge explains, “You’re isolated, your life has changed so much in a year and you realize that maybe everyone else's lives have not changed in the same manner.”  Meanwhile the track “Flew Away” begins with the lyrics “living is boring without a broken heart”, that deal with the ending of a relationship. The overall tone of the EP is perfectly captured in the title track when Judge sings “Hurt is boring, but so is happiness. And I think that I like one more than the other.”

There’s a simplicity and comfort in Judge’s approach to making music. Hurt Is Boring has an indie soundtrack quality that makes it an engaging listen. We are quickly becoming fans of fanclubwallet and her sentimental lyrics that come in the form of groovy, upbeat tracks.

Listen here!