Sir Jay – Big Waves (2020)
Sir Jay is a Finnish-Russian Berlin-based singer-songwriter and producer who started his solo musical efforts in 2018. At the time, he started putting together the first iterations of his debut EP Big Waves. At the start of the year, he was making headway as a touring artist, but this was cut short by the pandemic.
The tracks on Big Waves were inspired by the polar opposites of wide-open natural spaces and urban claustrophobia. Through his music, Sir Jay examines how they both affect the human experience in a society that requires constant accomplishments.
The first track is ‘Partner in Crime’ and is a gentle introduction to the EP. The acoustic guitar is a perfect complement to the vocals on the track. The vocals are captivating as they move to falsettos and back to a smooth deeper tone. While the melody starts in a minimalist manner, it evolves into a more complex tone that is a perfect build-up for the song.
‘Mid-July’ has a faster beat to it and opens with great guitar notes. The arrangement of this song is both choppy and polished at the same time. There is an almost funky vibe to this track making it a great modern folk song. As the melody enchants you, the vocals draw you into the song and make you sway to them.
‘Forest House’ opens with some wonderful acoustic guitar work. The lyrics of the track build an amazing picture of a forest house and everything that comes with it. There is a happy and upbeat tone to this track that makes you smile while you listen to it. There is some bold guitar work throughout the track that could change the entire feeling of the song if it was not incorporated so perfectly into the melody.
The title track ‘Big Waves’ has a big sound to it that is unlike anything else on the EP. Like waves, the arrangement of the track comes and goes in swells that drive you through the song. There are moments of driving guitars followed by slower moments of forgiving vocals. There are also some moments of interesting instrumentals that throw you off before getting you back into the waves of the track.
The last track on the EP is ‘Hello Love’ which has a great melody that hooks you from the first notes. This is a very fun song to listen to from the enjoyable melody to the lyrics. You can easily relax to this song and have it playing at any time.
Sir Jay creates gentle ebbs and flows in his music and lyrics on Big Waves. The EP is pleasant to listen to from the first notes to the very end. Each track looks at something different but there is an underlying thread throughout that ties them together.
Find out more about Sir Jay on his website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
