ACTIVE GUY

Taken from the EP Midnight Thoughts.

Flowing between the fault lines of jazz-influenced hip hop, alt-R&B and pop, Midnight Thoughts soaks up minerals from the bedrock of each and pools them into a collection of hazy bangers. Picking up the baton from 2020’s debut collection Just People, with Midnight Thoughts JWestern runs the final lap of a race that confirms him as one of the UK’s slickest and most essential producer-singer-songwriters. Channelling the likes of JDilla, Oscar Jerome and Tom Misch, he combines all to create a woozy transatlantic sound where tremolo guitars ride the gulf stream, Rhodes keys glisten like sun off wet rocks and hip hop tempos mark the passage of days. The sun-kissed grooves are offset by a deep introspection. Contemplation, laziness and blossoming romance are all held to the light and pattern the tracks through a kaleidoscopic lens that is relatable as it is personal.