Montreal’s Emi Jeen takes pop back to the basics with this well-written and addictively melodic new single.
West Of The Blue offers up a classic vibe, hinting at experimental dance in the first few seconds, but progressing to follow the pathway of a simple piano and beat backdrop. Even during the first verse alone, this minimalist production style draws your focus to the voice and the story-telling – and still the song manages to captivate and satisfy; increasingly so as it progresses.
West Of The Blue proves to be an easy hit in more ways than one. The hook has a simplicity equal to the song’s musicality, but it’s the resolve of this moment that lets it kick in so effectively. Jeen’s long-form verse melodies storm through almost to an overwhelming degree – not quite though, just enough to build intensity – and so the hook comes in to calm the moment back down. It’s a likable groove and a moment that’s easily recognizable – the perfect calling card of a memorable pop song.
What helps this all connect is the fact that those long-form melodic moments are performed with such passion and heart – you can hear Jeen’s connection to the lyrics, you can feel the energy with which she addresses the details; this grows and grows, right the way through to the final moments of the final verse – and then you get the calming drop to the hook once again, bringing you back down to earth.
It’s a great song, a pop classic for sure but also performed by an artist with a defiantly unique and expressive set of mannerisms. Hopefully there’s plenty more to come.
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