kHAi : Jupiter
kHAi
Jupiter
Having seen him around since he was a busker on the streets, to playing small and big(ger) shows, KHAi’s latest offering, Jupiter, shows that he’s come a long way.
The song is an uptempo jam full of sparkling beats and funky guitars, a departure from the songwriter’s heartfelt previous folk stylings. But the content seems to remain on romantic themes: "Like one of Jupiter's faithful moons / I wanna orbit all around you," he sings.
What I really enjoyed about Jupiter is the chorus’ chord progression – its rising nature giving it a subtle yet attention-grabbing kick, something that quickly caught my ear during my first listen. Although a common trick within the genre to spice up arrangements, it's a trick used well here, elevating the song from what could've been a stale result.
That being said, KHAi has had better outings. Admittedly, his anthemic song Wanderlust is my favourite - and his vocal performance was probably the best on his previous single, Small Talk. On Jupiter, his vocal performance falls a little flat, its delivery a little lacking in emotion unlike the rest of his repertoire. But the quirky track seems to be show him trying something new – with its funky instrumentation at the forefront of the song, the track grooves along with an uplifting bounce that his music previously didn't have.
Like his previous discography, the track is well mixed too, which allows his new instrumental palette to shine alongside his delivery. His producer and mixing & mastering engineer seems to know his genre and him well – catering to his strengths as a vocalist, with his crooning pleasantly floating above the instrumentation.
Although Jupiter isn't KHAi's greatest release – it seems to feel like a puzzle piece that fits perfectly in line with the artist he wants to portray to us - a versatile artist that's capable of more than his previous ballads and anthems. It may not match Wanderlust, but it's still a perfectly good song. Its light-hearted shape and content may be a little different than all the other pieces of the puzzle, but all of his songs form part of a bigger picture.
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