Jay Rowland is a twenty-two year old songwriter and producer from Atlanta, GA. He recently released his debut EP entitled THRASHPOP!. The EP contains five songs and is around six minutes long. The EP combines elements of both rock and hip-hop.
The first song is called “reboot!” and the mood and energy of the song isn’t too far away from a band like MGMT. It revolves around crunchy major and minor chords, a steady bass and driving rhythm section. The vocals are at first sung in a more traditional way. I liked how he sounded here. Around the halfway mark the vocals change to a more hip-hop style. He switched things up again and I was impressed by his versatility. “come thru (feat. Toast)” is pretty much straight hip-hop. The beat contains some piano, synths and smooth beats. I thought the rapping was well done while also feeling familiar in style and approach. There’s a breakdown around the two-minute mark. I had a hard time making out any of the lyrics but it still sounded good. “drowning” is a summery pop song. This song is the most single-worthy and also my personal favorite song on the EP. The hook is really infectious and is the kind of melody you will remember and possibly sing along with after you hear it. It sounded similar to Mac Miller. I also thought this song was the best example of a blending of multiple genres. “2005 (feat. Mute Smith)” is next and is a down tempo type song. It’s darker but has this wind instrument which added another dimension to the song. The song is short and there’s not a real hook on this one. “don’t trip” is a solid closer. The music is unique. I’m not sure if this was very manipulated vocals or a synth but the main instrumental elementals gives the song a shoegaze type vibe. I liked the repetitive vocal mantra on this song. Rowland showcases different sides to his talent with this release. The song “drowning” felt like his most natural and accessible hybrid which could be used as a loose template for his other songs. Overall, this is a solid debut and I look forward to hearing more from the artist.
1 Comment
Georgeanne
3/27/2022 04:22:54 pm
❤️💜❤️ Great review
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