Jaghana kicks off with a mysterious and looming tone, featuring an instrumental intro that progresses into sharper tones accompanied by hazy, barely there vocal tenors. The title track curves through the air and holds a certain sex appeal. It’s almost as if it’s playing hard to get, enticing the listener in to the EP without giving too much away. It’s quite a peculiar thing, to have vocals that are so broadly powerful, yet ring delicately through the ears, and that’s what makes Johnny Smyth’s sound stand out.
Romantic tones are in abundance, from moments of floating guitar and wooing vocals to louder, stronger surges of energy, where the powerful tones are suitably appropriated. This is noted particularly in ‘Womyn’, where Smyth lures you in with the light and airy melodies akin to ‘Jaghana’, then almost out of nowhere, there’s those emotion wrenching whines, grabbing its audience at the core as Smyth bares all. This is not a one dimensional character, and the EP is beautifully complex in all the right ways. There’s an essence of quick and light plucking at the guitar like a summer breeze, yet the melodies are highly intricate, almost doting on the listener themselves.
SAMANTHA MAE 