I'll admit, what drew me to this track on Apple Music was definitely the cover art. I'm a sucker for cool packaging, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cover is definitely not the coolest thing about James Hersey's track, Miss You. He's got a soulful voice, and it's packaged in an interesting instrumental style. Hersey himself plays cool little melodies on the electric guitar, and these are accompanied by subtle percussion and a subtle bass line. I'm not sure why Hersey hasn't taken over the scene yet, to be honest. It's easy listening, but it's guilt free. Hints of Adam Levine's irresistible vocal style, jazzy guitar melodies that make me think of the likes of Tom Misch and James Blake and an innocent authenticity are wrapped up in seamless electronic production. On doing a little research, it becomes clear that Hersey kicked off his career with just his guitar and a drummer, electronic production is a fairly new addition, but the vulnerability has not been lost with the arrival of technological excellence. In the most simple terms, he's like a way cooler version of the Script. On that note, Hersey's doing what people have been doing for years, but somehow there's something interesting there that makes you want to hear what's next. Of course, the fact that he's Austrian helps, as does the fact that his accent is not completely edited out in the mastering process. But there's more there than the European appeal, Hersey sings simple lyrics wihtout trying to make them more than they are. And of course, being a millenial, it's the straightforward, simple lyricism that wins me over, because it simply feels real, and that's something kind of rare in the electronic and vocal realm. Miss You is well-produced, but it isn't overly edited. Something of the singer-songwriter essence remains and makes Miss You a unique track in its genre. After the first listen, I realised this would be making an appearance on my playlist, and I've been enjoying it since. The context of Hersey as an Austrian singer-songwriter only endears the song to me more, putting the final product into the context of the up and coming artist. His melodies are retained, his voice still has a live quality to it and the guitar still makes an appearance on the electronic rendition of Miss You. While certain listeners consider the addition of electronic elements to be selling out (cough, La La Land) Miss You is one of the many delightful snippets of proof that authenticity isn't dependent on live instrumentation, but rather the heart behind the piece.
