Album Review: Joesef Asks “Does It Make You Feel Good?”
“This EP draws a line under a relationship that I’ve written about in Play Me Something Nice, if that EP felt more hopeful, this is the end game. The bitterness, and the lies that stem from fading love, to the aftermath of dealing with loss and regret, and finally taking responsibility for my own actions. I don’t really give much away ever, so it will always make me feel uncomfortable sharing such personal aspects of my life, but maybe, if it can help me work some shit out, it could help somebody else too.” – Joesef on Does It Make You Feel Good?
Sometimes, breaking up with someone can be the emotional equivalent to fighting a fall? Ever done that? The skipping and harsh treading you spurred under your feet, or in the case of relationships your heart, as you try to avoid face-planting on the floor. The worst part is that, once you land, you feel an added exhaustion and shame because you fought really hard to end up falling harder. As you can see, I have experience with this, and, as you will hear, so does Joesef.
Joesef – Does it Make You Feel Good (Official Audio)
Does It Make You Feel Good? is pretty bright in its ambient pop sounds for being about bitterness. As he says, his last EP was about fighting for someone you love, but this record is about realizing not only that you lost the fight, but, perhaps, it should have never been fought. Hindsight is 20/20, and tracks like, “I Wonder Why,” “Think That I Don’t Need Your Love,” and “Comedown” have Joesef singing to perspective; he fought to save something that really he should have been saved from.
Joesef – The Sun is Up Forever (Official Video)
Ultimately, Does It Make You Feel Good? comes off very crisp and light for how its depth and darkness. Yet, love is a wonder, and the lines between the delusions and dreams born from a romance are blurred. Thus, Joesef’s voice feels like hazed clarity; his vocality is very velvety and lustrous, which makes emotions comes of like pastries with filled with randomized thoughts. You take a bite, and you might be filled with hope or frustration. Yet, in the end, you knew you had something sweet.
