Jupiter in Velvet releases EP

Chords with big, burnt-ends come slashing through the silence in “Forever & a Day” like Jupiter in Velvet’s life depends on it, but as captivating as the guitar parts are in this track, they’re just as potent a force to be reckoned with in the Brit rock-inspired “A Cooler Shade of Mad” without question. Jupiter in Velvet puts the dynamic string grooves at the forefront of the mix in “If Not Peace… (Then it’s War)” in the same fashion that he champions his lush lead vocal in “We Are All One.” If he’s not crushing us with a flamboyant melody in “Stand Up,” then he’s marrying magnificent harmonies together like nobody’s business in “The Greatest Gift,” and from beginning to end in the new record Anthems 2 Love, there’s scarcely an instance where we aren’t getting the complete scope of his skillset at full capacity. Anthems 2 Love is an extended play that was conceived with longtime fans in mind more than anyone else, but even if this is the first time you’ve heard Jupiter in Velvet’s music, it’s an EP I would rank as among the smartest of the season at any rate.

Nothing in this record strikes me as being designed for mainstream airplay exclusively, but I would be lying if I said that “If Not Peace… (Then it’s War)” and “The Greatest Gift” didn’t sound like tailor-made college radio fodder. “Forever & a Day” might be the most efficiently constructed song that Jupiter in Velvet has ever put on a studio release, and yet there isn’t even a trace of arrogance in his swift execution.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZbOiQrEFn0GYtX4CyZ5Pd

There’s a humbleness to the lyrical content of the music here, and while I don’t think that every track was meant to bear a certain political narrative, there’s no getting around the rebellious, punk rock-style attitude that JiV is pummeling us with in Anthems 2 Love. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot for us to marvel at in “A Cooler Shade of Mad” and “We Are All One” from an instrumental perspective, but in terms of powerful lyricism, this could be described as being Jupiter in Velvet’s most expressive recordings so far.

I was only somewhat familiar with the music this mysterious singer/songwriter had released before dropping Anthems 2 Love, but you can bet everything you’ve got that I’ll be keeping better tabs on his output from here on out. He’s got a lot of raw energy and passion that could stand to be refined a little bit more than it already has been, but even if he keeps the rough around the edges style that he’s got in this record, it’s hard for me to imagine his career slowing down anytime soon (especially when taking into account the kind of momentum that it’s had as of late). Only time will tell for certain, but if the right audience finds their way to Jupiter in Velvet this December, I wouldn’t be surprised if he attracts even more success in the 2020s than he has throughout the 2010s.

Kim Muncie