Words may not do justice to JVKE's debut album, this is what ___ feels like (Vol. 1-4), as the young artist does his best at captivating a spectrum of emotions with his genius musical mind.
"this is what falling in love feels like" opens the album as a smart and intentional choice. His biggest charting hit yet, "this is what falling in love feels like" is symphonic, energetic, mesmerizing and endlessly charming all at once. Something about JVKE's music feels just like the blue butterfly features in this track's music video: light, magical and tenderly comforting.
Despite the album being JVKE's full-length project debut, according to the artist himself in both press statements and Instagram announcements, may also turn out to be his last ever album. As a result, this is what ___ feels like (Vol. 1-4) like is nothing short of ambitious. Carefully divided into four different segments, a full circle love story blossoms in JVKE's infusion of classical, hip-hop, EDM, alternative pop.
From falling in love, to heartbreak, sadness and falling out of love, JVKE keeps his vocal bare and touching while experimenting with different rhythmic styles, samples and instrumentations. Beyond the 4 tracks reiterating the album's thematic arc, some highlights include "golden hour," a balladic tale accentuated with JVKE's soul-touching vocal and an almost operatic production, as well as the more modern, hip-hop focused "ghost town" and the ever so creative fusion of acoustic and hip-hop track that is "wonder if she loves me."
Besides namedropping legends of various genres and eras, from Frank Sinatra to Donald Glover (Childish Gambino), JVKE's vocal execution also give nods to hip-hop superstars like Swae Lee and Post Malone. His songwriting occasionally feel reminiscent of Lauv, at times, even Drake. Needless to say, The Rhode Island native prodigy is full of surprises. From what we've heard so far, this is what ___ feels like (Vol. 1-4) is just a promising beginning, hinting for much more JVKE's got in store.
