Jordan Patterson moves quickly. Less than a year after releasing her debut album The Hermit through indie channels, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter has signed with Secretly Canadian and announced a new EP. Songs From A Valley Girl arrives with lead single "Just My Friend," available today.
Patterson's debut caught ears with its soulful folk-pop sensibility. The Hermit established her voice as a producer and instrumentalist alongside her songwriting. Secretly Canadian, the venerable label home to Bon Iver, Adrianne Lenker, and The National, recognized enough promise to bring her into their roster.
"Just My Friend" signals a shift in tone. The track pairs an upbeat piano melody with Patterson's distinctive vocal approach, moving toward brighter production than her previous work suggested. The single trades some of The Hermit's introspective melancholy for a more vivid, contemporary pop sensibility. For an artist still in her early recording years, the direction feels deliberate rather than accidental.
The timing reflects how quickly emerging artists can gain momentum in today's market. A strong debut and the right listeners can compress what once took years of grinding into months. Patterson's move to Secretly Canadian provides both distribution infrastructure and the cultural weight that comes with the label's roster. It positions her within a lineage of indie-leaning singer-songwriters who have built devoted audiences on their terms.
The EP announcement promises more material than a single allows. Songs From A Valley Girl suggests a thematic coherence, though details remain sparse. Patterson's trajectory from self-released artist to Secretly Canadian signee marks a genuine inflection point in her career. Whether the new material expands on the piano-driven direction of "Just My Friend" or shows additional sonic territory will matter for how listeners connect with this next phase.