A killer new release from Joel Christian delivers a soiree of edgy and vast pop soundscapes that manage to sort of bend genres as the record unfolds and along with that delivers this massive level of character that you end up really connecting with throughout the record.
The It Only Comes at Night EP is not only riddled with character and lush personality but also a lush sound utilizing outstanding synth textures to create an atmosphere that comes through kind of cinematic and robust at the same time.
You can hear these different electronic based influences throughout this record, and it incorporates everything from EDM, synthwave, industrial, and plenty more and packs it all into this one release so there's a lot to soak in and there's a lot of layers to be peeled back as well.
Most of these songs are insanely danceable and a lot of them have these hooks or courses that end up getting embedded in your brain and bouncing around in there for hours after the songs have ended.
One of the things I adore about this record is the sheer fact that Joel is able to, in a way, put a little piece of himself into each individual song so that you can get a little more of a glimpse into that personality I mentioned earlier.
The energy level of the whole thing is absolutely raw but the sound of it is polished and produced extremely well so that you have a low end that really bumps but you have that again sort of edgy overtone that packs a punch.
Some of these songs even give off an alternative pop feel and I think that that's part of the influence for some of this stuff as well.
It's got a semi-goth undertone to it, and you hear hints of darkwave and coldwave in there at times, but it's never over the top. Everything about this record is very balanced dynamically and that's where the production in the mix comes in.
I usually don't talk too much about the mix of songs but with this record, the mix was done very well and when you listen to the record the songs have strange ways of interconnecting or at least it seems that way. So, it's almost like this is a concept record of sorts.
You hear that house and dance pop, EDM approach shine through often and with those tracks you always have this outstanding vocal section that adds a layer of melody and brings out that hook, so the songs are very driving but they also have a little bit of color to go along with that edginess.
I can also hear subtle '90s and early 2000s influences in there too. Joel definitely does not shy away from that piano-based '90s dance style either and I feel like that's a great thing to bring into the mix because again, this is showcasing all of the influences that made him the songwriter, producer, and performer that he is.
This is the kind of record that is built and created with much fewer boundaries than the norm but, at the same time, is packed with catchy and pop coated approaches that feel great to listen to.
So, it's a combination of hints of cookie cutter, but a whole lot of outside the box songwriting so you have songs that are somewhat familiar and feel almost nostalgic at times but also inventive and creatively different production approaches.
The whole thing really creates an atmosphere. And that's the most important thing to me. Listening to a record that pulls you away from your surroundings and puts you in a different place all together is something that seems to be few and far between these days so when I heard this record it kind of blew me away in that aspect.
When I was younger, I lived in Los Angeles. Of course, I would hit some of the late-night goth dance clubs with friends among plenty of other bars and clubs with different styles of music.
These songs would literally all fit in those kinds of clubs. I can hear these songs playing in those clubs all night long and everyone dancing their hearts away.
This record was made for you to get a little bit invigorated from. The energy is infectious and that's half of the point of this thing.
I would highly suggest listening to the whole record because there are a few surprises around the corners and the vocal approach on the entire thing is adaptive to the kind of song that's being played.
So, the vocal approach kind of morphs characters to go along with the musical approach of the track.
Quite a brilliant idea and it works like a charm.
If you listen to only one or two songs from this record you will definitely not be getting the full spectrum of what the EP has to offer as a whole so I would suggest going through the whole thing from beginning to end.
Most of these are really fun, short, bangers and the whole record is under 13 minutes long, so you definitely have the time to jam to this one.
Dive into this when you can and remember where you heard it first.
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