Rhythm Review: A Relationship And The Devastation, Jones By Boylife
The genre of pop may seem like one of the simpler genres of music in the industry, but it is so much more complex. There are the typical pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo, like Harry Styles and Justin Bieber, and so on. Then there come people who want to subvert the typical pop criteria, people like boylife.
boylife has not hit the same heights as the pop artists mentioned previously, but he is just as talented, showcased heavily on his new album, jones. Being his second album, and first album since 2021, his experimentation and rawness in his lyrics showcase the budding sensation he could be.
Starting Off Strong
Ryan Yoo, the previously mentioned boylife, released his first single, “peas”, in 2020. The soft but heavy track is a perfect introduction to his sound. A grand mix of pop, R&B, sampling, and tender vocals with immense range.
More singles came, of course, and it eventually led to the release of his debut album, gelato. The album garnered much praise from across the music sphere, with tracks like “lush” and “dio” being some standouts (with “lush” having one of the most beautiful drops into a bridge). “dio” features BROCKHAMPTON alumn bearface, where cehryl features on “hoon”. The album also showcased his attention to detail in terms of the album rollout, with the album cover, visualizers, and music videos for the album all being unified.
Across all of his music, Yoo is extremely intimate, tender, and most of all, full of love. Lyrics may be bordering on horny, but it is a lustfulness out of love. The scenes of his songs are definitely the bedroom, but they can also exist to someone who has lost love and wants to find solace in trying to win it back. Or the brutal experience of a toxic relationship.
He then took a break from making his music to sharpen up his production and songwriting skills. Yoo had a lot of production and songwriting credits on the penultimate album of BROCKHAMPTON’s discography, The Family, released in 2022. Nick Velez had a lot of work on the album as well, being a producer on Yoo’s gelato.
boylife released a small teaser with a simple message in June of this year, “2”. jones released on July 29th, with the experimental pop artist going even more lustful while diving deep into a toxic relationship.
Boylife Elevating Musically and Lyrically
For some artists, taking a huge gap between releases can lead to the new record being a bit rusty and not fully polished. boylife makes sure jones is the complete opposite while taking some risks productionally. The first single and first track on the album, “nada”, is a complete shift in his sound. If you were expecting the luscious and beautiful production, you are in for quite the surprise when the first forceful strum of the distorted guitars. The organized smoothness of gelato is blown up by the stuttering drums and devastatingly harsh guitars. The track also includes a verse from indie rock group Porches.
“junior” also has this punchy edge to the production, while also demonstrating his love of the guitars. It is very clear to see Mk.gee’s effect on the guitar-loving industry, with that signature forefronted distortion on guitar being present throughout the album. The track also showcases Yoo’s great addition of strings to the outro tracks, creating calm endings.
Yoo’s love for high-pithced vocals still runs through the album, even doing so when collabing with others. “Baby Chop” has emerged as an early fan favorite, as features and vocals from other well known artists keshi and No Rome definitely help with that. The high-pitched vocals are delivered by twin brother music duo Mulherin.
It is not hard to tell there is much more collaboration in this album compared to his debut. Besides the ones already mentioned, Yoo reignited collaborations with bearface and cehryl, while also bringing along Roy Blair, Cait Harris, Deb Never, and spill tab. Yoo wanted collaboration to be an important factor in the album, taking some advice from an R&B genius, Dijon.
The biggest takeaway from the album is not his crisp and more aggressive production, but the story he brings the listener on across the album. gelato felt much more like a collection of great songs rather than a cohesive story, but jones tells the story of a relationship, the good and the bad, revolving around the characters of “Brownie” and “Baldy”.
Baldy in this case is definitely Yoo himself, most likely a reference from when used to have his shaved head. It not hidden in the slightest that he is still obsessed with her, even after their relationship ended, repeating on “nada” that “I don’t belong here without you.”
He is at first sad and wishing her the best, but by the time “tanlines” comes around, it is wanting her badly. “Begging you for more, walls are pretty thing / And you raise your voice, your nails in my skin,” he is fully saying that he wants her in bed badly. It brings into question for Yoo, does he miss her for her, or just sexually?
The truth is he trully misses her, but knows that it is not good for him. “idiot” showcases that him and Brownie tried to make it work, but as he says, “If you still love me, tell me why does it hurt / But I’d still give it all up for you, I’m your idiot”. Yoo is willing to put himself through whatever emotional turmoil for Brownie, but both of them know it will not work out.
As the album progresses, his descent is showcased more as the songs become more and more laid back, while remaining gutwrenching in the lyrics. “junior” has him even going so far to say, “Junior, I’ll be insane for you”, so yes, he is fully acting irrationally, but he does not car.
And once the track, “brownie” comes around, Yoo comes to his senses. The stripped-down track with just an acoustic guitar, Yoo sings, “Brownie, although there will never be an ‘I do’ / I still love you, oh, my Brownie. The guitar then comes in with a crying solo, almost reaching high pitches similar to a theremin. Yoo accepts reality, however painful it might be.
Yoo gives such an emotional story while not wavering in his talents at vocals or production in the slightest. The loving and intimate lyrics match the equally clear and experimental production choices, showcasing the back-and-forth love Yoo went through. Perfect for a broken heart, but perfect for anyone wanting some pop sadness.