Jaymes Young – Dark Star [EP]

BY JOSIE FAULKNER
MONDAY, 6TH JANUARY 2014

Have you ever had an addiction? Well, if you listen to Jaymes Young’s debut project then such will be the consumption of your ears’ attention that I guarantee you won’t be wanting the inconvenience of rehab anytime soon. The L.A based solo artist has been gaining momentum since his mixtape release (which was free) in August and has got the Internet interested.

If you do a quick search, you’re bound to stumble upon Dark Star, the title track from Jaymes Young’s release and the culprit that has us clicking that replay icon over and over again. Young’s captivating vocals (which has apparently been mistaken for female guest vocals) are smooth, sultry and show the capabilities of his falsetto. They fall comfortably over a bassy/dubby backing. Along with Moondust, whose lyrics are heart-wrenching and catchy as hell, “There’s nothing that I can do/Except bury my love for you/ The brightness of the sun/ Will give me just enough/ To bury my love/ In the Moondust…” which asserts his brand of melancholic electro pop. Each chorus has you hanging on tender hooks for its subtle drops that come in waves, making each one as addictive as the last.

Bringing down the vibe — however a little samey — are tracks One Last Time and Wondering; with their overtly reverbed vocals and echoing fade-ins, they are still decent pop tracks that are hard to shake off. Two More Minutes is radio worthy with it’s amusingly (dare I say it) Bieber-esc vocals that give us a brief high amidst all the despair. What’s interesting here is Young’s vocal range and quality production. You could never tell that it’s been recorded in his bedroom, or that the layering of vocals is just one person. And what’s even more compelling is the fact that although Jaymes’ choice of subject matter could plummet you into a black hole of oblivion, it clings to the edge while the reverbed bass pulls everything back into focus (warning: depending on personal state of mood).

Recommended listening is through a decent pair of headphones or speakers, as typical outlets just don’t do this release justice. Drawing comparisons with the likes of Imagine Dragons and ASTR, it’ll be strange if this guy isn’t on the international big-dog sound-waves next year.