Wednesday Tuesday 20 September, 2022
Australian singer-songwriter Joel James is an all-rounder, a self-taught musician, producer, engineer, accomplished vocalist, and thoroughly independent music artist on the rise. His latest track, 27 Years Of Plans, is a snappy pop-rock tune with an engaging lyric and loads of melodic hooks.
Perhaps one of the most enticing elements of Joel’s new release is his vocal performance, which segues from intimate to jubilant, reflecting the multi-dimensional nature of the lyric. As Joel says about his latest track, ‘This song is a celebration of failure and the freedom it can bring! Throughout my whole career, I thought that if I didn’t succeed by the time I turn twenty-seven, then I won’t succeed at all.
Recently I turned twenty-seven, and nothing has changed. I’m still making music and gigging every day. The only thing that has changed is that the weight of pressure to succeed by a certain age is now gone! Ironically this ‘failure’ has restored my love for music, and my self-love too.’
A regular on the Melbourne pub scene, some of Joel’s influences include the old songs he grew up listening to from his parents’ music collection, drawing inspiration from them and rewriting them in his style: a modern direction with vintage intentions. The track opens with a vital, stripped-back section that reappears later in the song.
This melodic tag appears before the first chorus, cleverly harnessed as an introductory component. The arrangement also has a few surprises, as it utilizes dynamics to create a modification throughout the song, from submission to reality in the verses to a light-hearted acceptance in the chorus, all merged to an upbeat tone.
27 Years Of Plans will undoubtedly become Joel’s break-out track and the perfect introduction to his musical style, an intelligent, accessible pop-rock song with a contemporary sweet edge and a compelling sense of fun.
