Heartour’s R u In gets off to a rousing and energetic start with the track “”Brain”. Newcomers to Heartour’s music may feel a jolt of surprise by the waves of electronic instrumentation blasting from their speakers but songwriter Jason Young, despite that description, never adopts a hamfisted approach. His arrangement skills are developed enough that he’s able to synthesize a number of electronic elements into a powerful yet musical whole straddling the line between a dense sound that, nevertheless, moves in fluid and lively ways. “Refill the Fountain” has a romping and hard-hitting sound, perhaps more so than any other track on R u In and Young meets the intensity of the arrangement head on with an emphatic vocal performance. It is one of my favorite moments on this release.
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There are other favorites along the way. “As Far As We Go” is another of the best tracks on R u In thanks to its low key driving nature that never applies to much force to the performance. There are a number of understated touches informing this track and, like other cuts on the album, it never overstays its welcome. I think it is obvious that Jason Young has a signature composing style that never bores the listeners thanks, in no small part, to his penchant for arranging compact and focused performances. “As Far as We Go” is one of the best examples of his technique at work.
“Eye on the Ball” has a bright musical texture that makes it a fun listen but it mixes his customary off-kilter lyrical point of view with electronic pop with surprising results. The ability to take a well-known phrase like this song title and build a credible lyric around it that isn’t drowning in cliché is an underrated aspect of this particular recording. “Bubbling” pulls back some of Heartour’s intense arrangements in favor of something more inward-looking and restrained. The results can stand alongside the more energetic efforts and Young modulates his voice with a keen ear for the song’s demands.
“The Persuadable One” serves up more of Heartour’s unique lyrical slant but the musical arrangement hews closer to the lyrical mood than earlier tracks. The intensity level is high here but it’s never an unpleasant listening experience. It’s another of my favorite tracks on this release. “Dear Future” returns us to the same thoughtful territory tracks such as “Bubbling” occupy but the arrangement is busier and more robust than we experienced with the aforementioned song.
He brings the album’s final curtain with the track “Baby Spiders”. It has a muted personality compared to many of the preceding tracks and this alone makes for an ideal finishing number. The lyrics have a rather surreal quality but make sense and Young sings them as if he’s sharing something deeply intimate about himself. It concludes Heartour’s fifth album and promises even greater things to come from this Connecticut born musical artist. I, for one, cannot wait to hear more from Jason Young and this project.
Levi Colston