If diving into soft, acoustic music is what you love, then it is time to save JJ Draper’s new EP The Theft And The Flight to your favourite playlist.
Sounding like Bon Iver with similar attributes to Yael Naim and Billie Eilish, his raw talent and fragile expression of real-life events makes him stand out from the crowd.
Opening the EP with That’s What I Call Progress, JJ manages to balance a darker atmosphere alongside uplifting moments to show the different emotional experiences that you endure during life. The raw emotions presented in both his falsetto and head voice are so controlled and delicate that you find yourself immediately captivated and held as his hostage for the entire record; craving more vulnerability.
…If You’re Awake At Night is an incredibly touching track about the awareness of brutal murders. Sounding drained and afraid in the verses, you can’t help but feel the fear and sorrow that some people, especially in gangs, find themselves in. A non-romanticised and incredibly touching portrayal of a distressing environment. The chorus section shines hope and adds colour and with the lyrics “Come outside, if you’re awake in the night” JJ Draper is showing that there are friendly people out there who want to help, a beautiful message wrapped around a delicate song.
Ending the EP with The Theft And The Flight JJ takes us to a gloomy place that can be assumed as a funeral. Carrying the same mood as previous single Timshel, the simple instrumentation makes it easy to get locked into JJ’s honest lyrics. The end of this song forms a perfect finish to this EP; with beautiful harmonies and grand instrumentation, you feel relieved that everything could work out.
I highly recommend giving this album a listen, there is no stopping JJ Draper and with his incredible talent and passion for life, his successes will just keep growing.
Score: 4/5
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