Jarred Pierce’s latest EP ‘It’s Going Down’ has kind of an unfortunate title. To all intents and purposes it implies a mindless collection of bro-country tropes, party anthems with redneck stereotypes and a pop country-orientated sound. Now, while it would be fair to describe Jarred Pierce’s music as pop country, he is far from one of the bros. In actual fact, this EP represents the kind of hybrid sound that dominated the airwaves prior to bro-country, with one foot in contemporary and one foot in tradition. There’s a whole lot of heart in his music, too, made clear from the first line of opener ‘Choices’, a song which describes the many difficult choices we must make in life. There’s a wisdom that he displays on songs like these, topped off with a light country vocal and electric guitars that modernize the neo-traditional structure.
The same can be said for ‘Home’, a track which begins with melodic birdsong to set the scene. Unlike many country songs that celebrate the joys of home, the verses are set firmly in a minor key, with shuddering electric guitar strums adding suspense to the picked acoustic guitar. There is an uneasiness to the sound that is soon resolved with the bright and singable chorus, one that holds a more typical lyric about how he’ll never leave home because it’s where he was built. I like that it’s a little different and catches your ear.
Meanwhile, on ‘Call It Something’, Jarred opts for more of a 2015 vibe with a drum loop and a guitar loop that could easily be a synth. Still, there’s very much a country flavor to this (initial) power ballad, as a falling country melody is joined by piano and pop country electric guitars. From the end of the first chorus, however, a driving arena rock style is introduced, speeding up the perceived pace and building the emotion and passion of the song. Told from the point of view of a man who has screwed something up in his relationship, he finds himself drowning in the cold silence his partner is giving him, desperately begging her to say anything about what has happened – even if it’s “we’re over”. The other emotional track on the EP is ‘Stay’, a plea to a girlfriend who is leaving town, someone who he’s not quite ready to give up yet, and this is also a big rocking number.
Things get a bit more casual elsewhere. ‘Turn Me Loose’ is a honky-tonkin’ jam about a rambler who’s not prepared to settle down just yet, and probably the most “country” track sonically on the EP. The title track is also fairly twangy but lyrically represents the kind of party anthem that we’ve become accustomed to in the mainstream over the years. It’s nowhere near as bad as a lot of those songs I’ve heard, however, so I’ll give it a pass as a fun song to accompany a few beers.
The ‘It’s Going Down’ EP is available now, and this Alabama native seems to be going places. Watch out for him.
Originally posted here.
