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Review: Self Titled EP by BetylJoos

After a quick glance at the promo photos of New York singer-songwriter BetylJoos, you'd be forgiven for expecting her music to be some kind of raucous power metal full of flashy guitar leads and operatic vocals. The surprise comes, and it's certainly a pleasant one, when you press play and discover that BetylJoos is actually producing wonderfully restrained pieces of song-writing which combine some elements of the metal aesthetic with a very modern compositional maturity. While the sound itself has a few rough edges, this can be forgiven because the songs themselves are so immediately catchy. Across the three tracks on her new Self Titled EP, two of which are new and one of which is remastered from a previous release, BetylJoos shows off her innate skill for crafting a catchy hook within her own musical vision.

The first track Empty opens with some spiralling, psychedelic guitars that feed into an intricate piano line, while BetylJoos's strong but moving vocals deliver some emotive lines. As the chorus hook starts to become more evident there's an expectation that things might kick off very quickly, but actually there is a careful continuation of the build up bringing in more harmonies to the verse. By the time we do get that big kick into a higher gear we're familiar enough with the chorus that the walls of guitars, solid bass and huge drums create a joyously fist-pumping crescendo. While the temptation from a song-writing perspective may have been to just let this chorus rip on for a while, the actual tempered finish on the closing vocal line "their smiles are so fake" means the emotional edge to the song remains to the end.

Favorite Memory is a wistful tale, reminiscing and reflecting on past summers with clever lines such as "summer isn't summer when you're inside". The verses have a certain folk indebted melody behind the powerful drums and rhythmic guitars. The chorus however is completely soaked in melancholy, the hook dripping with bitter-sweet sorrow. After a rather stunning Van Halen-esque guitar solo there is a really interesting section of layered vocal harmonies that climb over each other, reminding me of some of AFI's more experimental nuances.

Back In Time has a real upbeat AC/DC vibe as it kicks off with a smattering of drum rolls and raging guitars. There's some nice moments of old school rock 'n' roll throughout, you can find them in the guitar licks and the surprising doo-wop harmonies, but once again it's the hooks that shine through as the brightest star. There's an excellent composition to the track as well, with the melodies building up gradually, showing a well-crafted sense of dynamic impact. The song concludes on a fabulous conglomeration of all the elements that lingers long into the memory.

There is a lot of ambition in these tracks both in the song-writing and the production. While BetylJoos absolutely hits the mark on the former, on the latter there are a few areas that could be improved. It's not a lot, but with a little more depth in the instrument tones and a little more dynamics in the mix I can really imagine BetylJoos's tracks bursting with even more sonic life in the future.

This EP is a fantastic showcase of how good BetylJoos is as a song-writer, and there is far more detail in her compositions that one might expect from songs wrapped in the sounds of hard rock and heavy metal. It's notoriously difficult to keep this style sounding fresh without resorting to wild experimentalism, but by focussing on strong hooks and emotional melodies BetylJoos has really achieved something great with these tracks. What's so promising is that, with a touch more refinement in her sound, BetylJoos has the potential to create something even greater still.


The Self Titled EP by BetylJoos is released on 30th April, and you can find out more about BetylJoos on her website.

You can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook


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