Sir Jay is a Helsinki-based musician who has been gearing up for the release of his latest album, Running From Yourself (RFY), since the pandemic. With that much time to tweak, tweez, and polish your magnum opus, it’s borderline ironic that RFY sounds so effortless. Taking queues from electronica, soft rock, and psychedelic rock, Sir Jay’s nine latest songs are a group of whirring gems – stuffed with nuance and texture in a way that makes it perfect listening-music for many moods.
Jay was smart to start the album with the swirling ambiance of “Box Animal.” A slow-burning start introduces the listener to Jay’s sonic palate – expect gauzy bleats of synth, simmering string accompaniments, and drums that percolate at a pleasant, reserved pace. “Box” inspires feelings of being underwater – whether it’s Jay’s all-encompassing instrumentals or a poolside vibe is up to the listener to decide. Throughout its three minutes, the song often feels like it’s about to bubble over in intensity, but always keeps a sweet urgency. Jay’s vocals are a big part of this – his pleasant falsetto and breathy baritone paint the song with peaceful strokes of brilliance. He continues the vibe-out on track two, “Red n Blue,” with its easy-going, soft-rock influence, and on track three, “Rubble,” with its somber (but lovely), guitar-forward backbone.
The album isn’t all soft-rock bangers – “Darling” is a pulsing number, driven by noodling basslines, crunchy guitars, and more of the synth-based glow we’ve now come to expect. Jay has an endearing way of squeezing interesting sounds into his music, like the squiggly synth siren around the 1:30 mark. To any other ear, this could be a grating, Halloween-type sound, but to Jay, it’s the perfect touch to set off the crescendo in the bridge, culminating in a supremely funky bass solo. The follow up, “On TV,” is an island-ready groove, set off by a jaunty acoustic guitar and shuffling drums. Harkening back to those poolside, underwater vibes from earlier – this would be the perfect jam to kick back to while you enjoy a frosty piña colada. Another one with big energy is the title-track, “Running From Yourself,” with more moody guitars, big thumping basslines, and powerful lyrics. “Is this the end? Don’t want to hear that voice again. You’re running from yourself. You’re playing dead but they can see that you’re pretend, you’re running from yourself.” Sir Jay challenges us to look inward – to fight the demons that we try to keep as hidden as possible throughout our day-to-day. It’s a powerful sentiment – one certainly worth naming your album after.
Our nod for album favorite goes to album closer, “Roses.” With a hint of Arcade Fire energy, Sir Jay builds a piano-laden soundscape peppered with stuttering guitar lines, electronic drums, and Jay’s super pleasant vocals. Part of the reason we’re so enamored by this one is the stunning live session Sir Jay released – we’ve included an embed below for your visual entertainment.
Running From Yourself is available now (November 15th, 2024). Check it out on Spotify and Apple Music.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna
