Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

John Ellwand – Under the Weight of the Sun (2020)

Loyalty and appreciation of your life partner is the basis of John Ellwand’s new single ‘Under the Weight of the Sun’. Including a splash of romance that many people can relate to, he has created a feel-good love song. The positive vibes of the track are pumped through your ears to an infectious rock melody.

While Ellwand has played with bands in the past, he started releasing his own music during lockdown. The music he creates is an outlet for his passion, but there is something highly relatable about each single. This one is no different and will get you grooving to the beat before you even know what’s happening.



‘Under the Weight of the Sun’ gets your foot tapping from the first second as your limbs are taken over by the drumbeat. The guitar line that grabs your attention over this infectious beat leads you into the interesting melody. There are different layers to the melody that all seem to be doing their own thing. The drums are going crazy in the low levels while there are guitar lines that zap through your mind while these clapping notes hit you then disappear. This cacophony of threads could easily be overwhelming, but they combine through some sort of musical black magic to form a melody that you can’t help but get sucked into.

Over the interesting melody is Ellwand’s vocals. He enters as this soft layer of vocals over the initial guitar line with a hazy vibe to his performance. This changes for the chorus where he gets an almost electronic edge to his vocals that soar over you and pump you up. The movement of his performance from hazy ease to pumping vibrations is wonderfully executed and just works so well with that melody. Together they form this song that is ridiculously infectious and sticks in your brain.

John Ellwand captivates you from foot-tapping start to the wavering end of ‘Under the Weight of the Sun’. Using a multitude of elements, he creates a melody that does not let you go and overlays it with his soothing then pumping vocals. If you are looking for a song you can get down to without realising what is happening, this is the one for you.

Find out more about John Ellwand on his Instagram and Spotify.