Mr Little Jeans is the musical alias of Norwegian musician and songwriter Monica Birkenes, having adopted the moniker from Wes Anderson's 1998 film 'Rushmore.' While her cover versions of well-known Beyoncé and Arcade Fire tracks initially launched her into the public eye, it's her original songs that have earned support from tastemakers at press (NYLON, Fader, PAPER, NPR Music), and at radio (KCRW, BBC). Working with a team of talented producers - longtime collaborators Drew McFadden and Leon Jean-Marie, Tim Anderson (Banks, Halsey), Aron Forbes (Billie Eilish, Banks, Olivia Rodrigo) – her music is dynamic, complete with shuddering bass synth, ice-cold trap drums, and an incredible, enveloping sense of space. MLJ sings with stoic conviction, forging a path of self-empowerment: a way to reinterpret the nightmares that had plagued Birkenes' life and a way to reaffirm the creativity that's always been her guiding light. "Intentions" rides a warm hip-hop groove and features some of Better Days' sweetest lyrics, which appeal to love in a time of crisis: "Hold me for a second/Hold me as we sway/Tighter as we tumble/Hold me as we stray…" It's one of the record's darkest songs — about the perils and horrors of encroaching climate change — but it also shows the narrative of Better Days in miniature: for all the fear that abounds in the world, there will always be hope, too.