Taken from her recent album, They Have A Howard Johnson’s There, Fool’s Fight – the new single from Brooklyn songstress Jessie Kilguss – contemplates the ending of a relationship in the most melodic way imaginable

Release Date: 2nd December 2025

Label: Self Release

Format: Digital

FEELS LIKE A COSMIC FORCE…

Brooklyn songstress Jessie Kilguss released her sixth album, They Have a Howard Johnson’s There, back in mid-November and new single, Fool’s Fight, is something of a showcase for the album. A former actress who has worked with the likes of Daniel Day Lewis, Winona Ryder, Marianne Faithfull, Mary Margaret O’Hara and Tom Waits, Jessie’s music has been described as: “…cinematic, deeply literary and universally relevant.”

Produced, mixed and mastered by Charlie Nieland, Fool’s Fight is a powerful-yet-mellow number that contemplates the break-up of a relationship “…so immediate and intense that it feels like a cosmic force, compelling the narrator to abandon all societal pretence.”

NOW CHECK OUT THE ALBUM…

A strident drum figure provides the drive to Fool’s Fight; loping bass and tasteful, jangly, guitar complete the backing. But the most striking thing about Fool’s Fight – and striking it most certainly is – is Jessie’s beautiful voice. Think Joni Mitchell but with deeper resonance and more substance and you’ll get the idea. Jessie’s lyrics are wonderfully imaginative, as she makes her point with lines like: “You shocked us both; you opened the door and we both walked through. And now you’re running through my body like a current, like the rising tide in the full moon.”

Speaking of how Fool’s Fight came about, Jessie says: “I have a songwriting club with my friend, Rembert Block, who is a singer-songwriter-bandleader and also sang backing vocals on my record. We meet every 3 or 4 weeks and share a new song with each other. Our club has been meeting for over two years now, which has been incredibly helpful for keeping us both in the habit of writing new songs on a regular basis. When I wrote Fool’s Fight, I was deeply ensconced in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet, which I loved. The song is slightly inspired by those books. As with any song, it also relates to my own life, but I like to let people project their own stories onto my songs, to find their own meaning.”

Fool’s Fight is a fine song. Perhaps now is the time to check out the parent album. They Have A Howard Johnson’s There is an enticing prospect…

Watch the official video to Fool’s Fight below:

Jessie Kilguss online: Official Website

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