Opening his 3rd studio album, ‘Parlor’, is the latest single from Chicago-based Justin Sconza, ‘Upside Down World’.
Sconza’s previous albums ‘Home’ and ‘Maps’ were released in 2020 and 2022 respectively, and it appears that the multi-instrumentalist has channelled all of the confusing energy from those turbulent years into ‘Upside Down’. It really encompasses a shared journey that many listeners are likely to have experienced. It’s a track that is oozing with contemplation and reflection, yet delivered in a comforting and lighthearted manner.
The repeated hook “the world is turning upside down” makes the track easy to get lost in, pondering on this idea. Is this a reaction to the ongoing crisis’ we’re globally, internationally, facing? Is it a reaction to an inner conflict? Perhaps it’s both, or perhaps it’s about something completely unexplored that only Sconza is aware of within himself.
However, for such a heavy topic, the track is surprisingly breezy and relaxed. The tempo is slow, and Sconza’s layered vocal harmonies are exceptionally smooth and comforting. Production-wise, everything effortlessly has its place, with the acoustic guitar, marimba and electric guitar inflections supporting Sconza’s transient thoughts “looking up at the ceiling not really feeling”, “feeling like a tidal wave crashing / like an earthquake giving in to it”.
No matter the interpretation, there’s no denying it is almost meditative in nature. It definitely wouldn’t sound out of place playing in a coffee shop, or perhaps a Sunday-morning playlist - it possesses that same ease and mellow energy.
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