This week’s Song of the Week comes courtesy of Gentle Bones and MYRNE, with a quirky combination of their sounds.
Local musicians Gentle Bones and MYRNE dropped their collaborative single ‘JU1Y’ last month, an upbeat dance track vastly different from the former’s usual brooding style. It’s got us wondering: Has MYRNE managed to cure Gentle Bones’ demons?
They also released the accompanying music video two weeks ago, which… Ok friends, we are too shook for words, so the link’s at the bottom.
The sparse tinkling and echoed vocals that kick off ‘JU1Y’ remind listeners of the familiar melancholic pondering in singer Gentle Bones’ earlier works, particularly his 2016 hit ‘Geniuses and Thieves’. As the sounds of a closing door and a revving engine evoke the mood of a midnight drive to clear your mind, it feels like more of the same.
While the song is unmistakably Gentle Bones’, with his knack for wringing smooth lyrics out of emotional troubles, the magic ingredient here is producer MYRNE. Even though the hazy “half-remembered dream” opening is atmospheric, the track soon reveals itself as an energetic dance track. With a pulsing beat inspired by house music, this is one switch-up that kicked our ears out of our headphones.
Thank heavens for that, because otherwise we’d be thinking too hard about what it means to ‘do a Taiwanese’.
Also thankfully, instead of overshadowing elements of each other’s music, Gentle Bones and MYRNE worked to complement both of their styles. ‘JU1Y’ is at its best after the first instrumental chorus, where MYRNE adds a sprinkling of trap beats and Gentle Bones switches his rhythm during the lines ‘And if God may then I would/Find my diamond in the dirt’ with ease. This creates a sense of casual fun that indicates a true musical collaboration, instead of trying to jam elements of each other’s music wherever they fit.
This song is the perfect companion to a giddy night of clubbing with friends, as the sense of fun lingers long after the last notes fade away.