• Lo-Fi aesthetics
• Hooking progression despite minimal structure
• Joji further shines with his vocal delivery
There is no need of a magic crystal ball for me to tell most readers will have their attentions yanked by this article’s headliner. Can’t blame you, anyone who has been a denizen of the internet long enough most probably knows Joji. Although premiered almost two months ago, the temptation to discuss this grew within me further until I made decision to do so. YouTube suggestions (known for their untimely picks) served as the medium for me to discover this splendid piece of record last week, and hence existence of this article.
As a custom, I tend to talk about the backstory of the artist on highlight. But on this occasion, there is certainly no doubt that a lot of people know Joji, his discography and his defining past. I mean, being the 235th top-trending act on a goliath music streaming service as Spotify is sheer testament of this man’s popularity. Apart from single-handedly inducing the mass-viral “Harlem Shake”, his breakthrough as an internet personality and comedian is near legendary. However, my focus would not divulge on his former personas and for a good reason. I feel a lot of listeners more than often look at the Japanese icon as the erstwhile comedic YouTuber (who shall be missed, undoubtedly), while he turned the page with this decision attempting to start over.
All of these aside, I mainly came to know about Joji almost couple of years back, with his earlier melancholic R&B hits such as “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” and “TEST DRIVE”. It was only time that he would diverge further into the Electronic spectrum to satiate all palates.
There are primary elements in “Your Man” which makes it radiate warmly. Known to embed the bittersweet tonality as requisite, Joji did his magic equally well with his vocal presence. The production done strikes a fantastic balance: commencing with the heartwarming 80s Brass pads, reminiscent of the Roland Jupiter-esque sounds (correct me if I am wrong). This alone drives the beat with elegance, and Joji’s sublime and playful voice makes it delightful. For any House record, percussion matters in the timbre and tonality: hi-hats can be too pumping if chosen wrong, or the kick unnecessarily thin than usual. These technical details have been paid utmost detail here in my opinion, as the grittier set of drums accentuate the atmosphere of this track.
In this performance, the drop gently takes over the breakdown, extending on the same sounds without introducing more components than needed. Ricochetting snippets of the vocal, lo-fi type textured FXs and the main protagonist: the pads altogether makes quite the experience. This is a perfect song to played over at sundown, as one is driving or cherishing the moment.
My wish remains that I could have covered this track earlier, but better late than never. If you’re looking for that calming and somewhat nostalgic beat to repeat over and over, look no further. My admiration towards Joji has increased exponentially, as he continues to experiment and impress as always!
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