Released - November 2021
Label - Blah Records
The heart takes a deep sigh as Jaydonclover presents two new tracks on the tellingly entitled ‘happier, but still sad’.
This recent offering provides a more bittersweet side to Jaydonclover, narrating her move to London from hometown Birmingham. Whilst such subject matter may seem tame in comparison to debut EP Recovering Lover's multi faceted themes of love, obsession, murder and addiction, ‘happier, but still sad’ continues to benefit from the soon-to-be impossible to ignore production talents of rising rapper/producer Dylan Gray aka dylantheinfamous.
What continues to confound me about this producer is his uncanny ability to source devastatingly emotive samples. Opening track ‘Housenohome’ begins as a heartbreakingly sentimental descending chord progression that draws emotions in a way that only the great standard patterns of composition can. Through subtle manipulations, he manages to maintain the intoxicated cool of the road, whilst he, Jaydon and feature rapper Black Josh simultaneously invoke the darling nature of home, with it’s familiar fuckeries and steam in the kitchen - an innocence only achieved through blood bonds and from growing as flowers amidst the same concrete.
When we attended Jaydon’s headline show back in September, it caused us to publicly exclaim that she is the best live vocalist in the UK right now, a statement we firmly stand by. Each note lead effortlessly to the next with a silken combining of tragedy and truth without her ever having to force the tone. We were also fortunate enough that night to gain a preview of second track ‘LADYBIRD’; this gentle connective theme to ‘Recovering Lover’ is an empathic telling of the trials of fluctuating mental health, exemplified perfectly in the track’s final verse -
“Dear Diary,
I’m sad today, it’s Saturday, and I’m down.
You know it's
not like this every single day,
but today, I’m down.
Sunday, Monday, I felt better,
It’s Tuesday today and I choose to take the day to myself
and prioritise my mental health,
cause I know, it’s been shit.
Hey diary, it’s been a while,
I’ve been teaching myself how to smile.
I’ve had some hiccups, trip ups,
and some obstacles,
a little heartbreak and pain, but I’m cool”.
Jaydonclover has more than proven her worth throughout 2020, graciously and generously delivering singles, visuals and a delectable long-form EP that sit high above the bar, with 'happier, but still sad' continuing this trend. With little sign of slowing down, her recent affiliation with Blah Records and exquisite headline show merely solidify these facts and 2022 is set to be a very exciting year for the ladybird who flew away.
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