I have always marveled at Julian Shah-Tayler’s ability to make music that feels like it is all things to all people. And I don’t mean that to suggest that he is in any way happy to compromise his sonic vision or merely “give them what they want.” In fact, quite the opposite. It is his ability to make music that sits at so many crossroads, that is so genre-defying, that makes his sound so appealing.
“ForEva,” his latest single, is a perfect example of what I mean. It’s a pop song, of course, but it is one forged of sophisticated sonics and wonderful textures, something so far removed from the usual pop-pap and digital dross that seems the norm today. But it is more than that, too. It flows along on anthemic indie dynamics, but its grooves are those of a gentle number. It has the authentic feel of the underground scene and the contagious pull of the mainstream too.
There was also something of the formative New Romantic sound going on here, something reminiscent of that point when the scene was about to go overground, and the moneymen were about to descend, but there is nothing nostalgic or backward glancing about it. There is the same air of optimistic futurism oozing from every sonic pore that those early pioneers captured, perhaps through the brilliant balance of analog urges and digital delicacy working in harmony.
But best of all, “ForEva” is unashamedly celebratory, capturing those first flutters of the heart, the first steps into the glorious unknown, as a feeling becomes a reality and you stand on the brink of a new romance, a new relationship, and then…well who knows.
It goes without saying that Julian Shah-Tayler is one of the few artists who could deliver the perfect song for Valentine’s Day without once resorting to any of its usual cliche or cloying sentiments. It’s what he does.
Website
Links
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
