https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Qzzggn--s
After a very quiet 2018, upcoming R&B star and former YouTuber George Miller, aka Filthy Frank, aka Joji is back with a brand new single, "SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK." The song is very much a departure from his previous work of mumbling, drugged out vocals and sampled beats, even from previously released "Yeah Right," included on the single. Featuring very lush, bright synth chords and arpeggios, "SDITD" is essentially a modern pop song and Joji switches up his vocal style to match with a much more energetic tone and higher pitched melodies than he’s ever released before. The song also came out with an accompanying video displaying young George being repeatedly shot with arrows while smoking, a very on-brand video for him.
I’ve been listening to the song a ton since it came out. I love the energy levels between the sections and the very passionate chorus, the anguished verses in which Joji reverts to his quiet, mumbly style. Overall it is a very well-constructed song in technical terms: It's catchy and has a very standard verse to pre-chorus to chorus progression, and sounds completely clean and blemish-free. However, this means it doesn’t have any of the experimental qualities that make Joji stand out to me. The lo-fi, grimy production and off-kilter song structure are gone and really makes Joji lose a lot of his character on this song. It could be anyone singing over this beat.
But my indie sadboi tastes aside, "SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK" is a huge step in Joji’s progression as an artist. If he can apply his own style a little more on this refined and more complex sound, then I predict the upcoming album will blow listeners away. Joji truly has come a long way since his "Human Cake" days.
