Words: Danny Gillies / @danny_gillies
- Hailing from Leeds, JWestern’s ‘Just People’ EP is entirely self-produced.
- The video for ‘Call You Right Now’ is the most recent update from the young artist.
- FFO: Tom Misch, Hauskey, Easy Life.
- Released via Heist or Hit.
It’s never easy releasing a debut EP. The pressure of a longer body of work can sometimes mean cracks start to show. This isn’t the case with JWestern’s ‘Just People’. Confident and engaging, ‘Just People’ provides jazz chords, funk bass and shoegaze synths across all five tracks.
Opener ‘Call You Right Now’ and second track ‘Weight in Gold’ are both funky numbers. Impressive guitar work layered with expertly crafted basslines set ‘Just People’ off to a strong start before ‘Regret It All’ provides a pleasant lull, showcasing JWestern’s vocal skills. Harmonies create beautiful textures and guitars provide atmosphere in what could easily have been a sparce mix. ‘Check In’ returns to the formula of the first two tracks; bouncing bass and a hip-hop-esque breakbeat give an injection of energy before closer ‘Let’s Disappear’ brings the energy down in the perfect, chilled out, last track.
‘Just People’ is a cohesive collection of songs from a young songwriter who is on exactly the right path. With the release of the video for ‘Call You Right Now’, a feature in DORK’s Hype List 2021 and playlisting on Spotify in the past couple of months, JWestern is only just getting started.