“Kissing the Drain”: Jahnah Camille Hits a Breaking Point in Her Feverish Alt-Rock Anthem “what do you do?”

Alabama’s Jahnah Camille erupts with teeth and tenderness in “what do you do?,” a feverish, alt-rock confessional of spiraling self-doubt and scorched-earth release – equal parts volatile, vulnerable, and defiantly unfiltered – taken off her recently released EP, ‘My sunny oath!’

 follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist

Stream: “what do you do?” – Jahnah Camille

Blistering, breathless, and emotionally unrelenting, Jahnah Camille’s “what do you do?” is a three-minute fever dream.

Charming and confrontational, chaotic and deeply cathartic, it’s the sound of spiraling out and taking your power back all at once: A jolt of alt-rock electricity laced with anxiety, anger, and all the vulnerability in between. The track burns fast and hot – a volatile, compulsively singable standout that introduces her new EP, My sunny oath!, with both teeth and heart.

“I wrote this while trying to understand the feeling of losing control,” the Birmingham, Alabama-based singer/songwriter shares. “I had a friend who made me doubt myself a lot at a time when I sincerely thought it was possible I would never write a decent song again. My management was asking for demos because I had a session coming up, so the pressure of that made me just spit this out and I sent it over 30 minutes later. For me, I think whatever you tell yourself can be true and if you surround yourself with people who make you feel like shit, you’ll internalize it. That’s what it’s about. I was paralyzed by a need to control how other people saw me and needed to write about it.”

Where did I get it
Did it go, did I put it
I don′t know
If I say it
Then it’s kissing the drain

Watching me burn out
With a hose
But the stretcher′s all I touch
Got to Memphis
And I cried the whole way home

You can hear that unraveling in every beat. Camille sings like she’s on the edge of herself, trying to make sense of a body and brain that won’t sit still. “I know you see / My face painted / Assuming I’m always anxious,” she declares with a sharp, almost smirking tone. “You’re not wrong so I avoid you.” There’s wit and weight in her words – a cutting self-awareness carried by searing guitars and an unflinching vocal delivery that sets her apart from the pack.

“This line is about feeling like someone’s judgments have validity,” the artist adds.

I know you see
My face painted
Assuming I’m always anxious
You’re not wrong so I avoid you
Raised your brow, said,
“what do you do?”

Camille’s heated, emotionally charged chorus culminates in the devastating line, “Raised your brow, said ‘what do you do?’” – a lyric that feels both accusatory and dismissive, like a backhanded compliment disguised as casual interest. Camille delivers it like a gut punch: Detached, resigned, and burning underneath. It’s a quiet, cutting climax that lingers long after the guitars fade.

“what do you do?” isn’t just a strong single – it’s a headfirst introduction to a fresh-faced 20-year-old with something to say and a fearless way of saying it.

Volatile and memorable, it’s the kind of song that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Camille’s voice – both literally and lyrically – is distinct, and there’s no mistaking her urgency.

The lead single off My sunny oath!, “what do you do?” sets the tone for an EP that explores identity, instability, and transition through the lens of youth. “I was obliging to honesty and being really impulsive in my creative process,” Camille says. “I think it worked in favor of My sunny oath!” That rawness bleeds through every song on the project – a snapshot of fresh adulthood marked by defiance, confusion, and unexpected clarity.

Shaved for a killer
And a bum
And the best man that I′ve known
But the shake-up
makes me feel more alone

I′m in the basement having fun
When I knew you I was drunk
So we’re strangers
And I′ve got to leave home

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Camille has long stood out in a scene dominated by punk and hardcore bands. Her sound blends alt-rock ferocity with lo-fi grunge and diaristic lyricism, drawing from influences like The Sundays and Liz Phair as much as Japanese Breakfast and Elliott Smith. That tension – between soft and sharp, loud and quiet – runs like a fault line through her work.

Recorded with Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, MJ Lenderman), My sunny oath! captures the volatile energy of post-teen years and channels it into something both explosive and introspective. Jahnah Camille’s voice rings out over the noise – not just heard, but felt.

“I hope listeners can take away from this song to take themselves less seriously,” she shares. “That was a really hard lesson for me to learn and I kind of was teaching myself that over and over during the recording of this project. And I’m still reminding myself when I catch myself.”

And while “what do you do?” only last a few minutes, it leaves an instant, lasting mark on both the ears and the soul. It’s impulsive, intense, and unforgettable – the kind of song that doesn’t ask for your attention; it demands it. Read more about the song in our conversation below, and listen to My sunny oath! out now via Winspear wherever you stream music!

I know you see
My face painted
Thought by now we’d be acquainted
You′re not wrong so I resent you
Raised your brow, said
“what do you do?”

— —

:: stream/purchase My sunny oath! here ::

:: connect with Jahnah Camille here ::

— —

A CONVERSATION WITH JAHNAH CAMILLE

Jahnah Camille: I had a friend who made me doubt myself a lot at a time when I sincerely thought it was possible I would never write a decent song again. And my management was asking for demos because I had a session coming up so the pressure of that made me just spit this out and I sent it over 30 minutes later.

Jahnah Camille: For me, I think whatever you tell yourself can be true and if you surround yourself with people who make you feel like shit, you’ll internalize it. That’s what it’s about.

Jahnah Camille: This line is about feeling like someone’s judgments have validity.

Jahnah Camille: I would say there isn’t much of an overarching narrative. The songs are all singular expressions tied together sonically.

Jahnah Camille: I hope listeners can take away from this song to take themselves less seriously. That was a really hard lesson for me to learn and I kind of was teaching myself that over and over during the recording of this project. And I’m still reminding myself when I catch myself.

Jahnah Camille: I want to release more and more as soon as I can, and all I ever want is for the next thing to be better.

— —

:: stream/purchase My sunny oath! here ::

:: connect with Jahnah Camille here ::

— —

Stream: “what do you do?” – Jahnah Camille

— — — —

Connect to Jahnah Camille on
TikTok, Instagram

Discover new music on Atwood Magazine

 © Elizabeth Marsh

:: Today’s Song(s) ::

 follow our daily playlist on Spotify

:: Stream Jahnah Camille ::