Today’s song rec is:
Going Home to a Party x JW Francis
I forget exactly how I stumbled upon JW Francis, but I’ve been bumping We Share a Similar Joy, his debut album, since it came out in 2020. His second album had little replay value for me, but I’m hyped that Dream House has a similarly breezy vibe to his first release. This new album sheds some of the lo-fi texture that I really loved from him, trading its dormcore essence (which I consider a cooler version of bedroom pop) for a cleaner but equally charming technicolor slouch.
“Going Home to a Party” is the opening track on Dream House. I imagine it being directly connected to his first album’s opening track, “Home,” in which he wistfully wonders if he’s the one a nameless lover calls when walking home. Unlike that track, the new song is full of sparkling optimism and confidence in his relationship. He very much is the main character now, singing: “I’m going home now, and I’m headed straight to you. I’ll get there somehow, you’ve always shown me what to do.” Each verse is linked to the chorus by a dotted synthy line that is essential to the song’s sun-zapped charm, and the chorus itself oozes with the joy that a heart can barely contain when it’s trying to make room for a growing crush.
This is another song to carry you into the summer, a trend we may see here at Simp Lagoon. Nothing I love more than a sunny bop. Here’s the playlist: