JJ Sweetheart Drops A Debut Record
An EP release from JJ Sweetheart has a very unique way of delivering a certain brand of honesty that comes through in the form of several soundscapes that come together and create this lush environment that you end up getting attached to along the way, not just because of the sound of it all, but also because of the personality that the record delivers as well.
The Big Things EP manages to take elements of indie and even pop rock and blend them with atmospheric bedroom pop. Along with that, you can even hear elements of folk influences and some dream pop involved with the textures and tones you end up hearing as the record unfolds.
This was a very straightforward EP in terms of lyrics. There are a lot of pieces of himself that get spilled out everywhere and, I think that's important because it gives the record a certain level of authenticity that you end up enjoying.
The record has a lot of character and this is something you get very attached to along the way.
You also get glimpses of classic rock influences strewn across the release at different times.
The guitar work is outside the box and done with a little bit of greediness but a lot of color as well so you have this sort of psychedelic rock feel half the time and I think that's part of the vibe and aesthetic that the record is meant to put out there.
It is a personal release that is meant to be outside the box to an extent. I love hearing these vintage songwriting approaches with certain songs feeling like they were influenced even by songwriting of the 1950s and early 60s.
So, there are no set boundaries for this release. This is my favorite thing of the entire record. This is built with no walls around it and it's just meant to be what it is. It was purely a passion project with tons of heart and character wrapped around every note.
At times you have an amazing sort of live band energy to it that comes through with a bit of thriving vibrancy.
I enjoy that as well because it adds to the color of the record which is quite vivid.
By the time you get to the third track, you begin to expect the unexpected. The first two songs show you some diversity but by the time you get to that third song, you are getting more of a glimpse of how freeing this record really is.
The way that this kind of energy was captured is outstanding to me. At times it strangely puts you right there in the moment but at others, it feels like you're floating around in the atmosphere of this track trying to find your footing. I don't mean that in a bad way whatsoever. It just has a way of swimming around in the air that surrounds you and engulfing you in the sounds and textures of it all.
To me, this is brilliant because I love getting pulled into a record. This release is an escape and it does pull you away from wherever you are and whatever you're doing and put you in this other world for a little chunk of time.
You also start to get a vibe for the staple approaches of this record by that third track around, and it does have its staples.
But again, it is also diverse and incorporates plenty of rock and singer-songwriter genres into the mix whenever it wants to.
This is a release that you listen to in full. Listening to one or two tracks might give you a slight gist of what you can expect but it does not give you anywhere near the full spectrum of what the EP has to offer as a whole.
This is when you can dive into and pick up elements throughout it.
I would listen to this more than one time. Maybe twice or even three times so you can pick up all the stuff you missed out on the first time around.
Yes, this is one of those and it's awesome.
You get some great electric guitar work and acoustic guitar work, layers of vast synth-sounding tones that float through the ether of songs giving them that expansive feeling, and just a little bit of punch.
Check this record out as soon as you can and see how it affects you.
Remember where you heard it first.
