Picture the scene. It’s midnight and you’re going for a late night drive to clear your head, you don’t know where you’re going, you just know you need to go somewhere. The street lights begin to rhythmically cross over you to the beat of whatever’s on the radio, the roads begin to empty til you’re the sole car left driving, and the night life dies down. You’ve got no clue where you are when the sun comes up but that doesn’t matter as relief washes over you, no longer being tormented by your head and instead feeling serene. Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost, that’s all that runs through your mind.
This is the feeling I get when I listen to JVLY’s latest single ambien. The Australian musician has produced an enigmatic single with an air of mystery that is perfect for late night driving. The whispered vocals carry an ASMR quality that puts you at ease with the looping 808s providing a contemplative soundtrack to your late night thoughts, creating a piece full of emotion with lush sonics that makes you want to dance and cry along with it. This song is a sedative, whilst your mind becomes a cacophony of idyllic fantasies, anxiety, and dark realities, ambien makes all of it go away for a few brief moments of bliss.