Josef Pitura-Riley – You’re Not Alone (2020)
Josef Pitura-Riley has put his time during lockdown to good use to record some of the many songs he has written over the past few years. These songs have been pulled together for his new EP You’re Not Alone. Together they form a feel-good journey that will lift your spirit and douse you in some much-needed good vibes.
These good vibes are thrown at you with Pitura-Riley’s toe-tapping melodies and fun lyrics. This one-man band seems to be on a mission to make you feel better whenever you listen to his music. The refreshing optimism infused into each song on this EP is a good step in the right direction for his mission.
The EP starts with ‘100 Songs About You’ which hits you with these fun horns from the first second. That just sets up the good vibes from the first moment of the EP and really gets you into the mood. This is followed by Pitura-Riley’s vocals which have this peppy bounce to them that makes you smile. You will probably find yourself smiling during this song without even realising it.
‘Jack of All Trades’ has a much slower opening compared to the first track. The piano line does not hit you with those good vibes from the start, but the almost stop-start interplay with the lyrics draws you in. The chorus brings a perky feeling to the song as the melody gets horns and this upbeat flow. From the first chorus, the song has this bounce to it that has you moving along to it. The lyrics of this song are so catchy and you will start to sing along.
‘Life Isn’t Fair’ has a piano line that gets your head bobbing from the first second. There are these notes that zip around in the background that gets you into an upbeat vibe. The vocals also have this flow to them that makes you happy even as the lyrics detail how life is not fair. While the subject matter is not the happiest, there is this optimistic thread to the song that does not fail to make you feel good.
The next track is ‘Things Aren’t Going My Way’ which brings back that slower opening with a deep piano line. There is a completely different vibe to this song from the opening as the piano combines with these clicking notes and an almost sombre vocal performance. While there is a melancholic thread to this song, the underlying positivity Pitura-Riley has in all his music is still lurking around. This comes through as an acceptance of how life is going.
The EP ends with the title track ‘You’re Not Alone’ which grabs your attention from the first second with a perky vocal performance. This song makes you feel that everything will be okay no matter what you are facing. There is something undeniable about the positive vibes of this song which hit you and settle in your chest. This song seems to combine everything from the rest of the album and condenses it into one track from the fun horns to the lively vocals and the slower piano line.
You’re Not Alone by Josef Pitura-Riley leaves you bursting at the seams with positive energy as he fills you with an infectious upbeat vibe. Each track has this amazing optimism woven into every note. There is also something very West End about the entire EP that is just so much fun to listen to.
Find out more about Josef Pitura-Riley on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
