The tender ballad to a former love lilts between Vey’s cooing vocals and dynamic instrumentation.
Berlin-based artist Andreas Vey released his debut EP Things I Might Never Know earlier this month, offering a glimpse into his feelings, his relationship with mental illness, and with loved ones in his life, and out. “Joanna” began as a letter to his ex-girlfriend that feels like a shared secret. “Anything comes and anything goes / I guess it’s beyond our control” Vey croons in his beautifully high register, as if celebrating and mourning the relationship in focus at the same time.
“Joanna” begins with gentle guitar and the clicking taps of percussion that call to the unrest in Vey’s verses, his aching vocal work expressing the in-between feelings of his testaments where words can only go so far. That’s not for lack of lyricism either- the motif of missing “the sunlight in your hair… the way we didn’t care” is locked in mind from the outset like painted imagery. When the full band kicks in after the first chorus, the song feels like a long breath, possibly shuddered, but full. There is much heartbreak in these textures, but it never feels like the story at hand is one of despair. Vey’s songcraft keeps eyes to the horizon, and his fantastic vocal range expresses the complications of his feelings in full view. His low register crooning echoes the wistful coos of the first half of the song in such a way that calls to mind the tangible growth of oneself that comes with time. We may say the same words over the years, but they can mean completely different things depending on who we are in those moments.
“Joanna” and its accompanying EP Things I Might Never Know is out now and streaming everywhere. Give them both a listen, and enjoy.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5ZZhLCaVLeyVFO5BuDqaMW
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/joanna/1585618068?i=1585618191
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYv6ziicSD8
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/andreasvey/joanna
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/track/1492499072
Review by Bobby Guard
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realbobbyguard