Justina Ward – Drifter (2021)
With her last two singles ‘Spare Some Light’ and ‘One Bag’, Justina Ward got us a little hooked to her sound and desperately wanting more. Fortunately, she is back to meet our needs and offer us a musical fix with ‘Drifter’. After taking us through fusion soundscapes and existential exploration, she is hitting us with a self-deprecating attack on this track.
Through the song, she attacks not knowing yourself or being able to fall in love. She continues to blend her soundscape with orchestral accompaniments to a piano. While there is an attack in the lyrics, it all comes together in a melancholic and dreamy atmosphere.
‘Drifter’ lightly drifts into your ears with a soft and easy opening line. The soft flows of the music form an almost dreamy atmosphere that closes around you. There is a very vulnerable feeling to the music with this fragility that threatens to break at any moment. This is a wonderful sonic representation of the fragile mentality resting in the inspiration of the track. When the orchestral accompaniment makes itself known, there is a swell of strings that adds this amazing depth to the music. The depth lifts you out of the self-deprecation of the lyrics to make you feel better about yourself. You are also filled with the idea that you could find yourself and be comfortable with who you really are.
Ward’s vocals are interesting on this single as they move from cutting herself down to an almost bouncing building of strength. In the opening, you are drawn into turbulent emotions and reactions that lead to the self-deprecation resting in the low levels of the song. After the orchestral swell, her vocal movement takes a perkier turn with a bounce to its step. This fills you with a skipping lightness that has you feeling better about life, yourself and your place in the world.
Justina Ward moves from dreamy and melancholic to skipping yet tentative strength in ‘Drifter’. The music draws you in with a vulnerable feeling before a swell of strings gently pushes you into a feeling of acceptance. Her vocals move with the music from lightly depressed to buoyant hope for the future.
Find out more about Justina Ward on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
