Based in Toronto, Canada, artist James Something is setting us up in flames with his latest EP: ‘The World’, on the 30th of September as a 3-part installment release. This EP is made up of 4 tracks, inspired by many sounds of the 90s, as James has mentioned his early love of electronic music of that time. He bound together the 90’s electronic dance music with synth pop and abrasive EDM licks. James believes that music is a great escape from tough times in life. He is a queer artist, and he hopes that through his work he can give way for more queer voices in the music industry, especially the ones who are into the non-traditional forms of pop music, while also delivering a message of social value. James is also aiming for making new hybrids of indie pop and electronica music.
Following the desire of James to have more queer freedom for everyone in nontraditional music, it seems that the theme of the EP is something along the lines of the world is yours, strut it queen type message in music form. The dystopian lyricism can take a back seat for a really playful and fun atmosphere, which is surely delivered in this EP. The overall sound of the album is really audacious and sassy, with energetic surges of melodic, fast-paced beats painted on synthy pop, spacey soundscapes that make you feel like you’re being personally shot among the stars with a flaring and glittery colorful feather costume. There are a lot of robotic voices that mimic the 90’s dance music, saying the very minimal lyrics in the tracks. The lyrics are mainly mystical with a positive tone. The main lyric is particularly catchy, saying ‘She pulled a tarot card and told me I can have the world.’’How cool is that? The musical arrangement is quite complex with many natural and sonic sounds infused to express different moods in the tracks. Something extremely worth mentioning is how amazing, auditory pleasing, and creative the transitions in the tracks are, and they’re usually through a set of percussion sound effects that resemble those in a jungle or tribal fests. This musical strategy literally makes you feel like you’re raving in a rainforest somewhere in Brazil or Africa. This makes the tracks feel daunting like you’re on a dangerous but exciting adventure. Notable sound is whistling tunes and clapping used in the back of the tracks. Heavy bass is sometimes used to create a darker feeling in the tracks
The order of the songs is fantastic. It starts with ‘ I like the sound of it, then ‘The World’, ‘Formless’, and lastly the world recreated with a remix. The songs show you a spicy and melodic journey of what it really feels like to own the world like it’s yours, without fear of anything, and not care about the world about anything. Just the music, the dance floor, your body, your confidence and then creating the good times. If there is one word I can describe this Ep with is saucy movement. It’s like sweating for a good cause. You can’t sleep on this album. It’s a true rhythmic masterpiece.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5UJgMIvTzyLtO6UiPZqLt7?go=1&utm_source=embed_player_m&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1