Joel Christian Drops An Intense, Gothic Laced, Synth Driven Single
The latest single release from Joel Christian delivers a massive sonic drive and sort of dark underbelly that looks just beneath the surface but shows its face quite a bit. There's something about this track that feels almost gothic. It has a sort of horror story vibe to it, and I think that revolves around how he gets so descriptive in terms of lyrically depicting heartbreak the way he does.
It's very interesting because the lyrics do get quite detailed, and they do tell a story. It's not hard to follow either. This is a single that's based in the realm of emotions that you go through when you do get your heart broken.
Of course, there are elements of deception, betrayal, and those darker, moody tonalities and lyrics, but again, those are very descriptive, so he uses elements of darkness and night in terms of a metaphor for how it feels to go through the loss of heartbreak and feel empty inside for a moment in time.
The whole thing is semi-metaphorical. Some of it's a little more straightforward, but it's the metaphorical aspect lyrically that really hits hard because it's kind of elegant.
This is one of the things I found most interesting, simply because the song itself is sort of high-octane. It's got loads of synths, comes through with a very dense pop sort of approach, and there are layers and layers of sonic drive that shine through on a consistent basis.
It's all of these things that create this very unique and particular kind of atmosphere you end up getting swallowed up by.
Of course, there is a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel because it does also have to do with reclaiming yourself after all of that heartbreak is over.
Not to say that it's easy to get past heartbreak or that it even ever ends, but it's more also about getting back to you. Sometimes you need something traumatic to happen to you to realize who you are again. It takes something big and powerful, impactful, or profound at times to remember that you are yourself. You were that person before you met the other one and went through the heartbreak, the relationship, and everything else that goes with it.
So, it's not just a song about getting your heart broken or being betrayed, or going through a situation that wasn't what it seemed like it was, but more about going through all of that and finding something positive in the end. Becoming stronger, in a sense.
The vocals are coated in this sort of electronic vocoder-style effect, and there are elements of Auto-Tune that come through as well pretty consistently, but that's part of the aesthetic of the song itself.
It's a very electronically driven song. It's got loads of melody, and it's got a hook, so there's plenty of pop sensibility attached to the entire thing as well, but there's also an overlying alternative sort of edginess that pushes through, and that's something that lets the song hit a lot harder.
That's another thing I really enjoyed about it; you have that array of emotion, from sadness and melancholy to aggression. I feel like some of the instrumental aspects of this song display that aggressive element really well.
Keep in mind, all of this is what you go through when it comes to heartbreak or loss. You go through the angry elements of it as well. It's not just about being sad or feeling alone; it's about being pissed off about it. And you have every right to be.
So, I think instrumentally, Joel was able to really display some of the more closed-fisted, aggressive elements of the song really well through the synth work on the track.
There are some experimental attributes as well as he branches out and keeps the energy at a very high level pretty much the whole time, but there are also vast undertones to it that sit beneath the main synthesizers and keys, heavy-handed beats, and layers of vocals.
The experimental parts come in with the production, as there are parts of chopped-up or sort of glitchy vocals that come through, and these add more alternative punch to certain parts of the track right where they needed them.
You can clearly tell this is someone who puts a lot of time and energy into arrangement and composition. The song has great layers of texture and tone that sort of come at you from all angles, so you can't really turn the other cheek.
There's almost no escape from it, which I found to be really intense at times. And this is indeed an intense track, honestly.
But again, he does keep the pop element in place, comes through with great hooks, and still gets that sentiment and message across with a heavy hand.
It was really awesome to hear a track like this hit the way it did because it displays all of that emotion in a sort of unique fashion, but it feels seamless and natural.
This was a robust and bountiful track that was not only memorable but also showcases the fact that Joel is someone who puts pieces of himself into his music in an unafraid kind of way, and I think we need a lot more of that in not just music, but all kinds of art these days.
So, without further ado, take a deep dive into this track, put on headphones or turn it nice and loud so you can really soak it in, and you can feel that high-level energy in your bones when you do it.
I'm sure you will enjoy this semi-gothic, dark-undertoned, driving, and edgy synthwave-laced single.
Remember where you heard it first.
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