'Daylight' further moves Joji's signature sad-boi lyrics and melodies into a Lo-fi Pop oriented sound which demonstrates his ever increasing talents and will make a great addition to his upcoming album!
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Serving as one of the flagship talents for 88rising, who are a leading authority in promoting Asian hip-hop in America, Joji has been a rising force in the music industry since his 2017 transition to music from YouTube. Released on the 6th of August, ‘Daylight’ serves as Joji’s fourth advance single for his sophomore album Nectar, which is slated for release on the 25th of September 2020.
Teaming up with esteemed DJ and producer Diplo, this latest release sees Joji further stray away from his trademark ‘sad-boi’ lyrics and vocals combined with lo-fi hip hop, which has been a staple of his musical catalogue so far in his career. The track boasts a beat that mixes vintage bass tones and creeping piano chords that ultimately blossoms into the hard hitting chorus. The splashy guitar chords spread throughout the beat contrast the wandering guitar arpeggios of previous advance release ‘Run’, which gives me great confidence there will be a good diversity and progression in these new songs that will elevate Joji’s new album higher than those in his already successful Ballads 1.
“Bad luck, I don’t wanna be home at midnight
Sun’s up, I don’t really wanna fight the daylight
I don’t care if you moved on
I’m not layin’ in bed with a fucked-up head
I’m not layin’ in bed with a fucked-up”
Whilst there has been a noticeable progression in Joji’s musical prowess and direction, which is very evident in this track, the chorus conveys how he is still maintaining the elements that helped him accrue his dedicated fanbase in the first place. This is seen as Joji sings with his classic dramatic and elongated vocal notes with a twist that holds both seemingly indie and pop qualities, without making the body of lyrics superficial.
Whilst with my initial listen to this song it didn’t seem to hit me with the striking qualities of Joji’s other advanced releases, such as ‘Sanctuary’ or ‘Run’, it has grown on me significantly. With a catchy instrumental and classic lyrics of love and heartbreak sung in a nostalgic style that is melancholic yet perfect as a summer anthem, this song has again proved that Joji’s musical talents and direction are improving ever further. This should leave everyone extremely excited for his release of Nectar in September.
‘Daylight’ is available now via 88rising Records.
