Justpeoplewatching – The King of Nothing (2022)
Using the story of a young king, Justpeoplewatching weaves a wondrous folk tune about loneliness and self-acceptance. Through the lyrics, the band tells the tale of a young king hiding from pain by locking himself in a castle. With a touch of animated cinema, the single is reminiscent of folk classics that use vivid stories to address emotional topics that we all need to think about.
With the goal of raising awareness about mental health, the single brings adventurous vibes to the painful journey of coping with loneliness. While the band started as a solo project by Marc Ferreira (piano, guitar, bass, vocals), he met Kira Dawson (bass, vocals), Theo Menard (guitar), Justin (drums) and Kevin (drums) in the early stages. Through the journey of making music, they came together to create songs that touch on topics much bigger than any individual.
The strummed opening of ‘The King of Nothing’ hits the ground running by yanking you into the paced movement. This drops for a slower movement when the vocals hit. The use of only the acoustic guitar to drive the melody harks back to the great folk tunes of the past. The movement of the guitar drives you forward through the single, but it is the vocals that really give the nuance of the melody. It is a wonderful interplay between the guitar and the vocal performance. Later in the track, you can hear the strings start to make their way into the melody. This is very light before the strains of the strings bring their sombre flow to the track. This turns into a more lively folk movement that makes you want to jump around, which is a little at odds with the sombre lyrics.
Against the opening drive of the acoustic guitar, Ferreira’s vocals paint the picture of a castle in the clouds where the young king of the story is hiding. There is a feeling of loneliness woven into the sense of security that this isolation offers. Through the delivery of the vocals, the melodic flow of the single develops. This is wonderful as it really highlights the emotions that the band have woven into the single. The backing vocals offered by Dawson bolster the pain of loneliness that shines in the chorus. There is a stunning exploration of loneliness and coping with this threaded into the lyrics that confront some heavy truths. As the melody picks up for the lively burst, the vocals are paced to match. This all drops for a tentative plea to be shown something that would make you leave the safety of the walls we all create.
Justpeoplewatching use the tale of a young king to confront feelings of loneliness, isolation and the walls we build around ourselves for emotional protection in ‘The King of Nothing’. While the melody drives you through the soundscape and into a lively jig, it is the vocals that really deliver the nuanced melodic flow. This flow helps to highlight the emotions of the vocals and lyrics as they work through isolation and plead for the sight of something that makes you want to tear down your walls.
Find out more about Justpeoplewatching on their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
