A lively wash of vivid warm atmospheric pop, Jnr.’s latest musical offering is an immersive wave of colourful sound and stirring feeling.
Released on Wednesday, November 9, ‘Say (Light Me Up)’ feels like the breath of fresh air that we needed as we enter the warmer months.
Dreamy and effortlessly groovy, ‘Say (Light Me Up)’ is the follow-up to September’s ‘A Friend’ and marks the third release this year from Sydney-based artist Jnr., making a swift and lasting impression for those just stumbling upon his music now.
Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
The moniker of songwriter and producer Ben Siva, Jnr. has been slowly carving out a reputation for himself within the pop scene over the last nine months, having only released his first single ‘Remember’ back in March.
Drawing from his work behind the scenes working with some of the best up-and-comers (Corrj, JËVA and ANGE to name a few), Jnr. rockets out of Sydney full of feeling and radiant energy with three reflective releases now, each tapping into his own personal life, harnessing a sound all of its own, while creating and maintaining a freshness that the music scene so greatly deserves.
“I’m self-produced so writing for Jnr. is very introspective for me. I’m able to delve into every little sound and fine-tune all the lyrics to best suit me and who I am as an artist,” he explains.
“It usually means very long days alone in the studio listening to the same kick drum or redoing the same line over and over until it’s perfect.”
‘Say (Light Me Up)’ is an arena-ready anthem combining evocative, emotionally resonant indie pop with lush beats and atmospheric synths. Showcasing another slight stylistic change compared to previous releases, Jnr. proves offers a unique style that separates him from his emerging peers in the alt-pop scene, further drawing influences from RnB, trap, punk and ambient music.
With stylistic nods to the likes of The 1975, Lauv, Conan Gray and LANY, ‘Say (Light Me Up)’ is driven by a blend of dreamy synth, echoed drums and an effervescent guitar solo that whisks the listener into a wonderfully wistful dream-pop world. An infectious earworm, the track’s cinematic production leave a larger-than-life presence while the chorus owns a bouncy hook that will undoubtedly be stuck in your head for days.
Jnr. sings, ‘Say what you wanna say / To me now / Don’t leave it ’till the morning /’Cause you won’t see /Me crawling back’.
With distinctly synth-y, electro-grooves that you can’t help but sing along to, the song is quite intimate and vulnerable, providing a reflective and relatable slice of trust, life and relationships.
“The song is about a rough spot in my life where I was having some trust issues with the people around me. It’s pretty scary writing about your best friends, but I find it really boring and inauthentic to write about things that are ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ at the time. I’d much rather be true to myself and keep Jnr. as an extension of myself rather than a fantasy version,” Siva explains.
“I weirdly find that the more specific my songs are to my situation, the more relatable they are.”
View this post on Instagram
Written and produced by Jnr., the song was further brought to life with the help of Nico Mendoza at Studios 301, guiding ‘Say (Light Me Up)’ to a wistful balance of tenderness and turbulence.
“’Say (Light Me Up)’ started in my living room where I have a little studio setup. Most of it was written between there and my studio space in Marrickville (Casa Studios).
“I wanted to try and write a straight-ahead ‘pop’ song, because I find that really difficult (I usually bring in other weird elements from wherever my head’s at at the time). It’s all really based around this weird synth melody and the first verse pads. The song was there from the start, but it still went through a lot of drafts – I changed the structure almost daily.”
A genuine thrill, ‘Say (Light Me Up)’ is a glimmering gem in jnr’s repertoire and shines with its playful wondrous sound, personal narration and impressive technicality.
Whether you fall for Jnr.’s clever lyrics or joyous dreamy pop, the Sydney artist has set a high bar for himself and we can’t wait to follow his career from here on out. Needless to say, we’re ready for what’s next.
Listen to Say (Light Me on) on your preferred streaming platform here.
