Newly founded LA-based Experimental Rock project Quiet Car has announced their self-titled EP with their first single, “Goblin.” The band is helmed by two Chicago natives, Cam Cunningham and Jordanna (she/they, prefers to be mononymous). The EP will arrive on March 26, 2024.

After ending their previous music projects when moving to LA, they decided to flesh out their new songs, which eventually became the basis for a new band. Cunningham brings composing skills through his work as a film scorer and guitar work from a now defunct Jazz collective called Cordoba and Jordanna brings vocal chops as a Soul singer from their solo project, Jordanna, and from fronting Punk band Glamour Hotline.

Cunningham says of the song:

I fleshed out the initial guitar sketch for this song, and it turned into this nasty, gnashing idea. It seemed like saxophone would be the perfect compliment, so I sketched out that sax melody at the end. The bass player, Eric Novak (they/them), is an incredible sax player so that sort of all fell in line. We demoed it with Eric and pitched it to Jordanna. It wasn’t like the stuff they normally do, but I think it has an aggressive almost punk energy that resonated with her. It all sort of fell in line after that.

The guitarist and composer initially began the songs that became Quiet Car out of an artist grant from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. He then recruited Jordanna to help him finish writing and record vocals for three songs in 2022 after being awarded the grant.

When Cunningham moved to Los Angeles in summer 2023 and joined Jordanna, who moved to LA about a year earlier, they revived the project, eventually building a full-fledged band out of their new songs.

This duo was assisted by Cunningham’s bandmates in Cordoba, including Zach Upton-Davis (drums), Eric Novak (bass, saxophone), and Zach Bain-Selbo (engineering, mixing, also part of Karma Fête). Steve Marek mastered the EP and aided in mixing.