JSDavani (Jacoby Davani) shows us the door to light through the dungeons of depression with his latest album, The Melancholiac II. This deeply personal collection of tracks chronicles Davani’s own struggles with mental health and his path to healing.
The Melancholiac II begins with “Heartdrops” steeped in a haunting atmosphere. Davani’s use of glitchy vocals and eerie melodies brings an eerie desolation that veers towards madness. Coming up sixth is “Wants/Needs: A War Between” and its smooth, ambient soundscape and gentle beats reflecting the desperate desires that wash over our urgent needs during blinding phases of depression.
With the ninth track, “9. JUST A Pinch: Over the Dose” JSDavani explores the euphoric escapades of substance abuse with tense ambient soundscape that rises to engulf our ears with eerie, robotic and high flourishes. While the title track “The Melancholiac” marks the subsequent guilt of having lost one’s sense of self and needing a change. It features jingling percussion sending waking and tingling alarms to make us feel sensations again over the hazy ambience which rides over a cinematically sad swell.
The Melancholiac II‘s second part focuses on the journey towards recovery. “WAKING UP: The Sky with Laughter” pulses vibrantly with energetic beats, symbolizing the first glimmer of hope while distorted vocals push against the fog.
Through further emerging escapades explored in the album, the closing track, “A Beginning/Ending: Rinse/Repeat,” comes to show us that recovery is a lifelong process. The hazy soundscape beleaguering the synth melodies while the beats keep driving underscores the ongoing struggle.
Listen to The Melancholiac II by JSDavani to realize that to stop struggling, you have to stop trying to escape.
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Review by Naomi Joan