Willjoy – Bell (2022)
Relationships are packed with hot and cold aspects, but none more so than on-again-off-again relationships. This is something that Willjoy looks at in his funky house single ‘Bell’. Through the slapping house beats and dark-pop energy, he considers the contrasts within these relationships and how to battle against them by raising yourself to the next level.
Taking the concept of hot and cold further, Willjoy incorporated certain imagery into the official music video. To bring the imagery to sonic glory, he draws on his musical versatility that has ringing synths mixing with elements of funk, rock and roll and EDM. Drawing on the influences of the 80s, he adds a modern twist that has you wanting to dance around while staring into a candle’s flame in a dark room.
‘Bell’ hits you with the moving beats of dance and house from the first moment. The bone-deep vibrations shake through you and are joined by a funky flow that gets you dancing around without a care. The higher synths chime through the higher levels of the melody adding a wonderful texture and contrast to the soundscape. There is not a moment of rest throughout the melody as the funky dance flows continue to grip your limbs making your muscles coil with the need to dance. The slapping beats propel you forward while the higher twinkles are a spin and slide of dancing movement.
While the melody gets you moving from start to finish, Willjoy’s vocals have a darker growl to them. His voice reaches out of the funky beats like a tendril of smoke wrapping around your senses. This doesn’t mean that it is any less infectious than the melody and will make you want to move to the rhythm. Through the verses, he draws you into a closed intimate space before the chorus reaches out and sends you dancing down the street. It is a wonderful contrast of feelings and tones that works so well with the melody and has truly been masterfully executed. Through all of this, the lyrics delve into the push and pull of on and off relationships.
To bring all of this to life, the official music video has a late-night visual. The darkness creates the intimate space of the vocals and is contrasted by the visuals of the city and late-night roads. Water, ice, snow, steam and candles fill the video with the push and pull of hot and cold in a relationship. It is a fairly stripped-back video that uses purity in the visuals to bring the emotions of the track to life.
Willjoy combines dancing movements with growling vocals that draw you into the battle of hot and cold in relationships. The melody has you dancing to the rhythm while the vocals offer an intimate yet expansive vibe as the lyrics consider the push and pull of relationships. The imagery of ‘Bell’ has been brought to life through the stripped-back video.
Find out more about Willjoy on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
