Album Review: eaJ - when the rain stopped following me
I haven’t done an album review since Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us mini-album back like two years ago, and what a perfect time to dust off the keyboard and focus on an EP that has been on repeat since the second I had access to it.
Jae’s newest EP is finally out, after teasing us with it for a while. He went the Japanese release type route with it, dropping most of the songs throughout the year so while I’ve been able to sit with most of these songs for a while, we finally got the last two tracks with this drop on the 20th when the full EP was released. I want to say I am going to be objective with this review but the truth is that I just cannot. I have a deep relationship with Jae and his music and he - both as eaJ and as Jae of DAY6 - will always be part of the reason I kept going during very dark times so there is a connection to his music that I just cannot be objective about. It is so deeply tied to my emotions and mental well being it can’t, nor do I want it to, be separate.
That being said, I truly love the songs on this album. Since going solo, I’ve generally liked his songs to various degrees. I liked his dip into a more R&B sound, but Jae has a voice that needs to live in rock and this album truly captures that. As a fan, I’m proud of his journey. As a music lover, I’m happy that he finally stopped letting the guilt of stepping on toes prevent him from making music that is truly in line with his own personal sound. I think a lot of the past music reflects the trial period where he was experimenting with sound and trying to find his own. While I did enjoy it, nothing beats where we are with this latest release, especially notable in songs like right where you left me and when the rain stops.
Overall the album is a cohesive yet still rocky journey through mental strife and worry and he bears a lot of his emotions throughout the songs in raw and vulnerable lyrics. Even with the songs that he’s had for a while (friendly fire has been played in live performances for over a year), the selections paint a picture of the ups and downs of emotions and serve as a release of the rockiness that the past four years and before have been for him. It’s been hard and sad and frustrating and with this EP we are starting to see him coming out on the other side of that storm.
This album means a lot to me and have had it playing on repeat for the past few days. Jae makes me like music again in a way that I haven’t felt in a while and I will be ever grateful he didn’t give up, that I get to be here now listening to new music with a promise of new music to come.
01. i just want my twenties back
i want my twenties back is an incredible intro into the mindset and tone of what is to come throughout the journey of this album. It is a plead to listen to the album for what it is: an ode to needing to be able to tell out loud his story instead of being silenced for the sake of others’ comfort. I love how raw and ethereal this is, but still is produced in a way that is classically Jae. Jae plays around with different sounds and arrangements in his songs and is present in a song that would probably be produced differently and much less by another artist. It is also at its core just a boy and his guitar and for Jae that’s a huge part of his life and the reason he was where he was in his 20s.
02. mad
If I had to pick a least favorite song off the album, it might be mad. It’s a good song, I like it fine. It is less introspective in the lyrics than some of the others and while I do sense that it mimics the moment where you just can’t find the words (or maybe shouldn’t) to talk about the big feelings you have and just want to put that into action than words. I do think it compliments the other two songs that lean more pop on the album, fire and burn.
03. friendly fire
friendly fire is just a fun song overall. Another heavy pop song this one just makes you want to go for a drive and put it on while screaming the lyrics. The bridge swaying in beat is a fun juxtaposition from the very staccato notes of the rest of the song. It’s sonically fun and light and inviting, while the subject is less about being friendly and more the reflection of a very toxic relationship.
04. right where you left me (ft. Hindia)
I don’t know if I can accurately put intp words how much I love this song. This is what I want from Jae in terms of sound. The guitar line in the back, the build up into the chorus that ends in letting the instruments take over with the vocals becoming almost background to it…it all just works so well for me. Hindia was absolutely the right choice to feature in this song. When their voices come together in the second verse...chef’s kiss. I love when voices match, and Jae and Hindia blend so well together, I could listen to that part for hours and be content “I don’t even gotta say to youuuu”.
05. burn (ft. salem ilese)
Burn has some really interesting work in the producing of the song. I don’t think I’ve heard Jae talk about it, but I want to know the reasoning to add in the voice announcing the verses. salem really works well in this song. She has such an interesting voice and in some of the ways that she emphasizes syllables and it gives it such an interesting vibe. I think both voices blend well, and it’s a great example of how Jae is good at spotlighting who he is with without overpowering them.
06. when the rain stops
While right where you left me is my favorite song of all his discography, when the rain stops is my favorite on this album. Lyrically it’s such a beautiful display of where Jae is now. Musically, I think right where you left me and this one follow closely together in sound and are the heavier rock-influenced tracks of the EP. The back line is written well and has a feeling of introspection and whimsy with the topline of Jae’s very emotional vocals. It’s very dreamlike in most of the song, especially as he almost mumbles the verses out, but then explodes into the chorus. There is hope of coming out on the other side throughout the song that transcends the lyrics. What a beautiful way to end an album that is so heavy and dark in one way or another. It needed to come out of that rainy mess from the other songs into this hopeful place with room to grow while still acknowledging the past.
Check out the album on all platforms now.