A Love Story with Oneself is the debut EP by SYLLO, the solo project of Liverpool-based musician Joel James. Released independently back in March, the EP consists of synth-driven pop rock tracks with slick production and personal lyricism “centred around self-love and self-acceptance”.
The opening track You Are My Remedy (released as a single last July) kicks off the EP with a good indication of what is to come across the project. The opening verse is sparse and spacious, with muffled percussion and shimmering synths, before the chorus collides with a rush of instrumentation. Hard-hitting drums and thumping bass surround a commanding vocal performance, which brings an anthemic feel: “Your voice is a melody, now it’s hard to be stuck in silence anywhere”. SYLLO describes You Are My Remedy as “a song for that person who gives you their whole heart and support through everything”.
However, he explains that the next track, Daydreamer, is about “accepting that there is negativity in your life and letting go of said negativity”. SYLLO introduces a somewhat darker sonic palette and plays with interesting vocal manipulation at various points, with distorted adlibs drenched in reverb and vocoder-layered harmonies. The track is pared down to acoustic guitar and backing vocals in a reflective bridge section, before the closing chorus’ half time feel ends the track on a powerful note, with rung-out crashing cymbals and a fluttering synth melody.
There seems to be somewhat of an eighties influence across the EP, which is particularly prevalent on the track We Could Have It All, for its gritty synth chords and pulsating arpeggiator bassline. A personal standout from the EP is the penultimate track Be There, which sounds like it should belong in the closing credits of a feel-good film. SYLLO sheds light on the song’s meaning, explaining that it’s about “being in a position where all you crave is love from another person, once you are able to accept yourself”. A post-chorus hook introduces a capering, crunchy music box melody: a distinctive and exciting element of the production.
The final track I Tried to Run – another single released prior to the EP – is a more downtempo cut, based around strummed acoustic and looped electric guitar riffs, whilst heartfelt lyrics bring a sense of closure to the project: “I am here, I am coming home / I’m holding on and never letting go.”
The production across this EP was top notch, with strong sonic cohesion across the instrumentation, as well as a smooth flow across the track list which brought a sense of progression and storytelling. A great body of work which SYLLO should be proud of, it showcases his knack for writing instantly catchy earworm melodies and creating explosive synth pop tracks.
We’ll be tuned in to see what musical journey Joel James takes us on next with SYLLO! The EP, A Love Story with Oneself, is available to stream on Spotify now.
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Jude Bankier
