1
Juan Wayne
Soothing soundwaves that are dripping in escapism seem to be just what is needed for the apocalypse that is 2020. Juan Wayne delivers just that. With 1, the duo, comprised of Andrew St James and César Maria, concoct a dreamscape of sound, breathy narrative laden harmonies layered over organic explorative sound, giving us a glimmer of hope in the oppressive season.
After a playful Intro that gives a hint into the unfiltered process of music creation, Juan Wayne launches into 
sixteen minutes of breath-taking beauty. Some standouts from the album include ‘Beverly Hills”: intermingling a nostalgic sonic undertone with psychedelic punches, ‘Beverly Hills’ seems to perfectly capture both the story telling prowess and the explorative sonic ability of Juan Wayne. ‘Beverly Hills’ is both playful and melancholy, an intermingling of emotional peaks and valleys that mirror the undulating wave of sound. With a 60s Laurel Canyon flair, ‘Dasha’ is a transfixing tune. While the vocals shine, the harmonies cascading in poignant perfection, ‘Dasha’ is not light on expansive sound, a lovely breathy moment evolving as the song morphs. ‘Berlin,’ with its soft touch and new age pop underpinning add some moments of lightness to the record, an automatic earworm that you’ll be humming to immediately.
1 seems to be a tale of longing and exploration, a directly relatable wave of nostalgically tinged sound. It is an impressive first release for Juan Wayne. Light and airy yet sad and melancholy, the album offers enticing tunes that will quickly become some of your favorites. 1 will be released this Friday, September 18th, make sure to mark your calendar!
Pre-save 1 here.
Watch this video of Juan Wayne performing live:
