The Bad Arts 032: Introducing...Jean Pack
Meet Jean Pack, the Cork-based artist bringing back the sparkle of the 1960s with her irresitable chamber-pop sound.
Jean Pack will say that her first foray into the world of performance involved a brief stint as an extra on the set of the original Thunderbirds (1965-66). From there, her musical sensibilities flourished into a bombastically lush 1960s-influenced chamber pop expression captured on Pack’s terrific debut EP, Allora, released last Summer.
Produced by one of Cork’s finest songwriters and producers, Caoilian Sherlock (Jackie Deluxe, The Shaker Hymn, The Tan Jackets), Allora’s skillfully crafted blissful arrangements, with Pack leading the way as an unpredictable and exciting persona throughout, sit confidentally alongside the songs and era that inspired its buoyant personality. Fans of Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra’s illustrious self-titled LP, or anything from The Ronettes and Francoise Hardy will be immediately enamoured with Jean Pack.
In the first of The Bad Arts’ Introducing… series in 2026, Jean Pack told us about making of Allora, her favourite album opener, and more.
The Bad Arts: Hi Jean, how are you? How has 2026 been so far?
Jean Pack: Ciao Zara, I’m very well, thanks! We had a great start to 2026 on the 2nd of January, and we played Ones To Watch
TBA: When did you begin writing music for this project? Can you describe what your vision for this project and what inspires the songs?
Jean Pack: It all began when my millionaire parents said I should become a pop star. I’d be inspired by anything from a pair of shoes to a microwave. The vision would be to retire in Italy.
TBA: Tell me about the Slay Babies. Who are they?
Jean Pack: The Slay Babies consists of an ever-growing, changing and slaying group of people, such as Shane Murphy (drums), Finn Cusack Holden (guitar), Cara Mc Mullen (keys), Oisín Walsh Agnew (bass), Sam Cullen (bass), Aaron Hurley (bass), Peter O’Sullivan (keys), Caoilian Sherlock (bass) and Julie Landers -(vocals, xylophone, tambourine and triangle). Shout out to all those bellas for rocking. They will travel far and wide with their talents and slay anyone who causes trouble.
TBA: You’re also in I Dreamed I Dream, I saw you play in Spindizzy for the most recent Litany of Failures launch and you were incredible. While IDID and Jean Pack are very different sonically and lyrically, how would you say that making music with the band has informed how you approach your solo material?
Jean Pack: Thanks a mill! I love Litany of Failures, they’re doing God’s work. Making music with the band has definitely shown me that I can make whatever I want.
TBA: Opening your Allora EP with the line, “I woke up with sick on my face”, immediately grabs the listener into the world of the song and is just such a striking opening line. Can you tell me about Allora; your inspirations for it and what you wanted listeners to come away with from this spectacular introduction to Jean Pack?
Jean Pack: I really just worked on the songs in a way that I made sure I liked them and would listen to them and hoped that other people would like them too. In terms of sequencing, I liked how the first two songs, ‘Purple’ and ‘Salley’ were in the same key, then the rest just felt right.
TBA: Following on from that, what is your favourite opening line to a song or album of all time?
Jean Pack: “Ah ha ha” on ‘Angeleyes’ by Abba. Then, my favourite opening song for an album is ‘Five Years’ from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
TBA: The EP has such an amazing textural feel to it from the ‘Purple’ to ‘Ciao Bella’. I adore the 1960s sensibility to the production, which immediately made me think of Francoise Hardy and The Ronettes. That era of music and those artists, along with the Shangri-Las, The Walker Brothers, Lee Hazlewood, Nancy Sinatra and The Crystals, were hugely important to me when I was developing my music taste as a teenager. When did you first get into this style of music, and who/what was the gateway for you?
Jean Pack: Suitcase gateway: So one day I found a suitcase outside Cork airport, and inside it was full of ‘60s CDs. I went home and played them and have loved them ever since.
TBA: When you were making Allora, you worked with Caoilian Sherlock. Can you tell me about that experience? What were some things you learned that you’re excited to bring into the next body of work you record?
Jean Pack: I heard Caoilian’s album Teenage Jesus for the first time around March 2024, and I absolutely loved it. It made me feel like I was listening to a Cult that I wanted to join. (Maybe I was?) I knew from that moment I really wanted to work with him, so I sent him a message, and we met in Mutton Lane to discuss. Caoilian and Shane have been playing together for years, and so had Sam and Finn, so they were a dream to record with. We recorded almost everything in Big Child Studios. I make the demos, and the lads bring them to life; it’s great working with them. For the next body of work, I will try to record in warmer conditions. Maybe Spring, maybe Summer.
TBA: What are some of your favourite memories from recording Allora?
Jean Pack: Gettin’ that shiit done!
TBA: Allora was released last Summer, and while I’ve loved listening to it on loop, I would love to know if there’s any chance of a debut LP coming soon?
Jean Pack: There is a chance yes…
TBA: What are your hopes for Jean Pack in 2026?
Jean Pack: Unfortunately, I accidentally spent all of my trust fund, so I’d be really hoping for a bit of funding this year. If anyone has any tips regarding Arts Council funding, please send them on.
TBA: Finally, which Irish artists and bands are you really excited about at the moment that you feel people should be paying attention to?
Jean Pack: Rua Rí, The Guilteens, The Altered Hours, RÓIS, Moleman, Cardinals, Crying Looser, Laurie Shaw, Pebbledash, Therapy Horse, Elaine Malone, Moldboy, The Love Buzz, and Inchworm, to name a few!