Pale Jay. Photo courtesy of Karma Chief Records
The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.
Pale Jay is done being a fuckboy. At least that’s what he appears to conclude on his dreamy debut LP, Bewilderment, released last Friday (August 18). Throughout the record, he navigates love and situationships, experiencing a push-and-pull of emotions that he tries to ignore. The record’s title track is a prime example. “You never told me that you love me / And I never really cared / You provided for bad weather / But I needed more than care,” he sings in the song’s first verse.
Jay ends the album with a three-minute heartfelt message in “Don’t Forget That I Love You,” a tune that demonstrates the realization and admission of his feelings. In his decadent falsetto, he confesses the three words that seem too hard to say across Bewilderment‘s prior cuts. Sultry strings and rousing keys kick off the track, leading to Pale Jay’s passionate love note. “I take my time / I control it a while / Won’t hold back til I see your smile / We don’t want to say goodbye but we do,” he sings.
After going on the rollercoaster journey of the album, one would assume it ends in the same heartbreak as the other tracks, but Jay proves listeners wrong in the second verse of “Dont Forget,” when he sings, “Never thought I’d say this but I really care / And I promise you I ain’t going nowhere / And hold on, hold on to what we are / Who would’ve thought that we’d come this far.”
Jazzy horns join halfway through the song and add liveliness to Jay’s happy ending as he begs his lover to not dismiss his feelings for them. It’s a holistic ending to a chaotic yet completely realistic and relatable album for young adults attempting to find love in the modern age. And Pale Jay’s honey-dripped vocals are so sweet that they’ll soften the blow for those who may be going through heartbreak.