JVKE – this is what ____ feels like (Vol. 1-4) (Album Review)

Being his first album, “This is What ___ Feels Like” is not only a music album but also a true person’s journey through love. By listening to his songs, you may not believe that it only took him 2 years from releasing his first single “Upside Down” to releasing this album, with such mature mastering of studio and electronic techniques, bringing new sounds to the pop music world.

JVKE (real name Jacob Dodge Lawson) is an artist of rising fame. He has been taking piano lessons since his childhood and often wrote songs for his church. In 2020 during the pandemic, he and his family joined TikTok. After a short period of making comedy skits, he announced his first single “Upside Down”, which became popular. It’s also because of this song that Charlie Puth approached him JVKE for a remix. In 2021, he collaborated with the famous Galantis and released his other famous single “Dandelion”.

This is What ___ Feels Like is a very good example of cinematic pop—a new genre originated from Joji and brought to fame by JVKE. This new genre, in my opinion, would be the mainstream in the next few years, because, as you can see under the videos of JVKE, people just love this kind of lush, visual, filled with lush strings and instrumentation kind of music.

As a classical musician, I was never a big fan of pop, but after listening to this album, I immediately thought to myself that this is real music. It’s not that I look down on pop music, but it’s that recent songs lack the beauty of music. However, this album brings the beauty back, and I just LOVE it.

So what makes this album so special? Well, first of all, this album shows how different JVKE’s songs could be—from dreamy pop to emotionally charged ballads. On the one hand, “Golden Hour”, which is his hit song, gleams with its cinematic orchestration; on the other, some track channels find themselves down a stripped, acoustic vibe that’s deeply personal.

Secondly, people can resonate with the lyrics, because his lyrics are based on universal themes of falling in love (as in the first track “This is what Falling in Love Feels Like”), heartbreak (as in the track “This is what heartbreak feels like”), and self-reflection; especially in his sad songs which showcases how deep he can go into emotional lows.

Finally, JVKE’s mastering of synths and other sound effects like vocal transformers give us new surprises time to time. One of the most unique ones include the changing of tuning as in “Golden Hour”, which is tuned down to 432hz, instead of the standard 440hz.

Here are some top songs:

Golden Hour: Recently the “JVKE Theme song”, which ranked 41 on US Billboard Hot 100. The use of lush cinematic strings and clunky sounds of a piano tuned down to 432hz makes this track one of the dreamiest songs ever written. If you played this track and the next track without a break, you will find out it is specially written as a loop.

This is What Heartbreak Feels Like: Heart-wrenching reflection of lost love with haunting melodies and a raw, chilling vocal performance.

This is What Falling in Love Feels Like: A rejoicing, upbeat declaration of love, which is just oozing positivity.

“This Is What ___ Feels Like” is so much more than an album—some story of feelings, complication of emotions put into music; essentially, the heartbeat of mankind. His most real self was shown in the making of the record, and it is surely worth the listen, especially if one is a fan of music that brings in feelings and creativity. Whether you seek solace, release, or reason to celebrate, JVKE here has managed to make it genuinely feel like everything.

SCORE/Outstanding: if you are looking for music that brings you to another world, or you want to listen to music that brings tears to your eyes, listen to this album! “This Is What ___ Feels Like” is so much more than an album—some story of feelings, complication of emotions put into music; essentially, the heartbeat of mankind. His most real self was shown in the making of the record, and it is surely worth the listen, especially if one is a fan of music that brings in feelings and creativity. Whether you seek solace, release, or reason to celebrate, JVKE here has managed to make it genuinely feel like everything.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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