Just five months after the release of her fourth album SUBJECT TO CHANGE, country-pop star Kelsea Ballerini dropped a surprise EP on Valentine’s Day. Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, Kelsea Ballerini Thanks to Raye’s swift ability to juggle songs about drugs, alcoholism, eating disorders, climate change, and sexual assault (“Hard Out Here,” “Ice Cream Man,” “Body Dysmorphia,”“Environmental Anxiety”) with others that are more commonly heard in a pop song: partying, sex, and love (“Escapism,”“The Thrill Is Gone,”“Worth It”). What I appreciate about My 21st Century Blues is its attempt at covering a wide range of topics that aren’t commonly heard from a singular artist. Thanks to a Tweet from June 2021, Raye departed from Polydor, and was finally able to start working on her own music. It hasn’t been an easy road for Raye to release this project: despite being signed to Polydor at age 17 and being credited as a songwriter to many EDM songs, including songs for Charli XCX and Beyoncé, Raye was still not getting funding from her label for her own project. This led me to take the time to listen to Raye’s debut album My 21st Century Blues, an album that became a quick favorite of mine after just a few listens. I was first introduced to Raye when I heard her song “Escapism,” at least, the sped up version, popping up all over my For You Page. Permanent Damage is a solid showing of Joesef’s genre blending that can convince major pop music fans (aka me) to listen. Despite the moments that are viscerally emotional throughout Permanent Damage, some of my favorite moments come from the lighter tracks on the album: “It’s Been a Little Heavy Lately” and “Didn’t Know How (to Love You)” sound like songs that deserve to be heard under the shimmer of a disco ball in a dive bar. “East End Coast” sounds like a song by The 1975 in an alternate universe: “Borderline” sounds like a gut-wrenching conversation between two lovers who are on the verge of ending their relationship. Permanent Damage is a beautiful collection of 13 songs that tell the story of heartbreak and the revelations that come with healing. Despite still playing small venues in The US (but still very much selling them out), Joesef has been releasing music for several years at this point, has the support of Elton John, and has played shows with Paolo Nutini and Rina Sawayama. Scotland’s neo-soul artist Joesef is having his breakout year, following the release of his debut album Permanent Damage earlier this year.
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