Joel Compass - Astronaut

Ever since a not-so-normal guy with an internet connection decided to upload a casual mixtape named ‘House of Balloons’, things shifted. A post-Weeknd slew of fellow R&B crooners stood tall, proving they could sing, be sad, and sing about parties in impressive unison. As a result, very few of these subsequent names actually ended up standing out. Abel Tesfaye remains a standard-bearer to tear-strewn bedroom R&B, his prize untarnished by those who’ve spent thousands of pennies more on studio time.

The first name to emerge in this savaged, tissue-littered landscape and really stand out is Joel Compass. Based down in South London with nothing but a talent show-topping voice in his locker, he’s been promoted under the same misty black-and-white hue, given the same skyscraper-ed, monied R&B perspective. And somehow, on debut EP ‘Astronaut’, he manages to offer some semblance of hope that he’ll go on to do his own thing, removed from the comparisons he’s so readily received up to now.

‘Astronaut’’s title-track is defined by the kick of synth flourishes and rhythmic piano lines. Together, they offer some distraction from Joel’s lusty advances. ‘Fucked Up’ looms in towards the party comedown strewn-out mess of a Weeknd song, but it’s direct, honest in its intentions. It’s probably better than anything post-’House of Balloons’, if we’re drawing parallels. One of Compass’ very first songs, ‘Back To Me’, closes the EP with a subtle flourish. Synth patterns are drawn out into sparse, sleek species, with the singer offering something smarter in his delivery, tethering melodies that’d floor your average joe.

‘Kiss Love Goodbye’’s “should feel wrong but it feels so right” declarations and post-’Yeezus’ abrasions don’t really end up contributing to a great deal, but it’s a slight misstep in an EP defined by bold steps forward. Compass deals in a currency that’s growing more dated by the day. Despite this, he’s created a mission statement that puts the majority of fellow smooth crooners to shame.