Chillwave, Bedroom Pop, Jay Som. OH MY!

It’s times like these, when the sun kisses your skin so gently. The sky seems to empty and disguise itself, in a hopeful blue. The warmth of the wind dances around your hair, playing a mocking gesture of your timid curls and waves. The flowers are aroused with the smiles of nature, as they spread their petals in a hugging motion, admiring a beautiful day.

We as humans in this hierarchal society, must remind our hectic selves that peace is accomplished when we put persistent effort into it. The purest nirvana takes an energy to allow the body and mind to cease from internal heavy thinking. As the days begin to expand and laughter increases, Jay Som is the therapy of peace we all desperately need. Her mind forms an exhale, concluding a masterpiece of serenity in “Anak Ko”.

The Los Angeles-based musician began her music career with a nine-track project named “Untitled” on BandCamp, a popular indie music sharing website. After what was created to be a demo, “Untitled” produced much buzz which was followed by her debut album “Everybody Works”.

With the vulnerability of Phil Elverum, the poetic writing styles of The Pixies, paired with the softness of Carly Rae Jepsen, Jay Som approaches popular music in an intimate bubble of worry-free goodness. Described as “headphone music”, Chillwave is a micro genre that emerged in the late 2000s.

It has implications of retro pop with the aesthetic of lo fi and psychedelic fusions. Vintage synthesizers married with effects processing, birthed the intense sub culture of pop music. Jay Som is known to record all of her music herself in the comfort of her bedroom, hence the sub-genre “Bedroom Pop”. Artists such as the alternative rock band Paramore and The National, have joined the artist at various international venues in cities in Ireland and Canada.

Life can metaphorically drive down a long dead end road. As you rest your hands on the steering wheel, you can become content with the driving motion, missing the beautiful scenery along the way. It’s hard to slow down the pace, when you are so comfortable with fast, quick movement.

With a blink of your eyes sewed together with the thread of your eyelashes, words just become birds in the wind. Life can become routine. You can feel as though repetition courses your blood stream like a feverous disease. But when we allow ourselves to get lost in terrible thoughts or get too consumed about controlling the future, we find that mistakes take on a strong force. Because, in all honesty, tomorrow is never promised.  If it had ever been promised, goodness would produce better in the world than hate and fear. To lose control, sometimes means that you had control after all! The conscious realization to take things as they are presented, could indeed give your life more peace of mind. Jay Som expresses this notion in the slow driving, mechanical track “Get well”.

Don’t wanna slow down. Don’t wanna forget. The company’s fine. The feeling’s alright. Don’t wanna come down. Don’t wanna jump in. The moment’s enough

When the horizon starts to descend into the dusty shadows, the realization that love can cause you to do some crazy things, becomes apparent. It can convince you to change the pure essence you have obtained since the moment you opened your fragile eyes, and embraced what the world could bring.

Realizations can be overwhelming at times of discomfort. There is the heavy pulse that tells us to sink into “what could have been” versus “how great it is now”. Reflecting on self-love, there is an invisible crown that every individual possesses, even when they don’t feel the need to. It’s difficult to see with the naked eye. It is hard to notice, but if you look close enough, it shimmers like the stars in the sky. Jay Som poetically expresses her feelings of understanding and self-contentment in a materialistic world in the track “Crown”

Have you ever had that feeling of listening to a song and hating it the first time? Judging it at first listen, also mirrors judging at first glance. As I pushed myself to ease my cranium and allow myself to become one with the music, as many find themselves doing, I fell in love with music all over again.

“Anak Ko” means “my child” in the Filipino dialect of Tagalog.  Jay Som taps into this child-like perception of the universe. As a child, we have no care in the world. We loved without knowing, we cried based off of intensive pain, and we laughed because life felt so good. Jay Som continues to remind us that music doesn’t have to melt your heart in a quick reaction. There is the beauty of what music can do. Music can float in the air until you need to breathe it.

Jay Som reminds us to appreciate the essence of those peaceful moments. She additionally reminds us that there is compact light where darkness lays his weary head. The album, after only a few listens, deserves a strong 8 out of 10. A music nerd like myself, you have to have a properly designed mindset, to appreciate the purity the project captures. The album allows you to unbutton your collared shirt and to exhale in a way you haven’t done in a long time. Whether it is an extreme moment of tenderness or a soundtrack for honesty with a person you love, you will find enlightenment with this amazing album.

Check out Jay Som now!

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