We all know and can draw comfort from the feeling of a beating heart. Be it against your ribcage or into your flattened ear, the soft pat of the human heart acts as a distinctive and integral indicator of love and connection. Drawing from that consistent, gentle bounce, Sydney beat-maker Jai Pyne has returned to creativity with the lo-fi disco of Heart Won’t Stop.
Jai Pyne masters the art of minimalism, even in a crowd of sonic layers with Heart Won’t Stop and it’s a sonic marvel, to say the least.
Having fronted the much loved Paper Scissors in years prior, it’s fair to say Pyne has a firm grasp on music and performance. After a short hiatus filled with creative pursuits of a different kind, Jai was ready to reenter the musical vortex and has managed to spin more gracefully than ever before.
Released through his own, affectionately named label, Turktown, Jai’s new single is anything but generic and pours warm, silky beats over a synthesised landscape of melody and harmony in a way, never heard like this before. As a drum beat feigns familiarity in the opening bars, we’re soon gifted with the song’s most unforgettable hallmark, it’s deep, quirky synth bass that meanders through the track like cooling runnels of lava, reaching the slow end to its journey.
Pyne’s timid falsetto suits its pounding counterpart in a delightfully weird oxymoron, drawing reminiscence to Happy favourites, Donny Benet and Kirin J Callinan in its 80s leanings and lovelorn lyricism. As the song unravels before us, new layers are added like cheese to a meaty lasagna like droning synth inflections and looming vocal harmonies.
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The slithering cheek of a naughty slap bass is just what the track needs to elevate it to disco-worthy heights. It’s a danceable anthem for the bedroom loner, preparing for a night on the town. It’s the sonic equivalent to an old Ferrari, with all the speed and class of a modern banger but without the superficiality of overcompensation.
The minimalism of Heart Won’t Stop is, in fact, its best feature. With so many layers of sound, many would struggle to create moments of clarity among the din however, Pyne manages with ease to give each instrument an important role, delegating them like a benevolent dictator.
In all, Heart Won’t Stop is as unique as it is familiar, sneaking the unheard into bursts of warm nostalgia carefully, without treading on the song’s tender message. Looks like this one’s not going away any time soon.
