January 10 | Written BY Lauren Ketterl

Former American Idol contestant Jonny West released a new EP on November 19th, “Meantime…” which shows listeners why this insanely talented artist made it to the top three on the show.  

This is the California-based singer’s second EP and first drop in nearly a year. All five songs on the release were recorded as demos, including the song ‘Shovel (demo),’ released a year prior as a single. All the other songs are new releases. Jonny West has his own category because of his poetic lyrics and slightly gospel-sounding music, or at least it feels like you’re being preached to listening to his music because it’s that good.

‘Shovel (demo)’ talks about holding about feelings and how those emotions can impact a relationship. The lyrics “close friend into no friend, who wins? What you do when, no I got to ask again if we’ll fight about it” tell of anger and frustration within a relationship, making one overthink their actions. There are a lot of underlying self-jabs in the song of walking on eggshells to save someone's emotions. ‘Good Great Bad (demo)’ has a similar self-reflection vibe, with the first line being “Where do I fit in?” The minute and forty-second song may be short, but it hits hard.

The next song, ‘Reazons (demo),’ is a prime example of the gospel reference. Listening to this song for the first time feels like a whole experience. Every line sounds like it came straight from the heart. “Calling that often, you’re not holding my compass anymore,” “Love is only hardest when you lose it,” “But my nature fights with the wind, your kisses burn on my skin,” and “My heartstrings bend out of tune, can’t be a star and your moon.,” are a few examples of lines from the song and each listen gives you another reason to fall in love with this song.

The final two songs on the EP have vibes similar to them. ‘Chalking (demo)’ talks about talking about things. The lyrics read, “What you calling about? I’m too gone when you’re around. Am I dreaming too loud? When we talk, should talk, ain’t not chalking around us.” These lyrics show that push to not tiptoe around conversations but to be direct and address what needs to be discussed. The final song, ‘Be Late (demo),' talks about letting loose and just being late for once. “I know you got your appointments, so do I, but be late for once in a day,” shows that urge to let loose and be a little freer.

Jonny just finished up a tour, so hopefully, even more incredible music will come out soon. If any of these songs turned you into a Jonny West fan, check out his 2021 album “THE THING ABOUT THIS IS…” for even more amazing music.

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