It’s an interesting scene when it comes to bass music lately; a couple of years ago, many people said dubstep, drum and bass and even future bass had hit their individual strides and not much else could be done with them from an EDM standpoint. That was before pop got a hold of them, and no matter what your opinion on the matter, pop does indeed have a hold. Such is the case for new bubblegum singer Jillian Shea and her first single, “Story.”
The teen singer/songwriter Shea is about as pop as they come, having previously starred in Disney’s “Walk the Prank” and other Disney and Nickelodeon shows, but she does have firm roots in music. Shea began singing and playing piano quite young, and she picked up the guitar at age 12. This would explain the sort of poppy folk feel to the vocals and main melody of “Story,” and it’s also what makes the track so interesting as a future bass track. How do you combine pop, folk, future bass and even some synthy dream pop? Ask Jillian Shea and her collaborators, apparently.
With all those styles, one might think “Story” would be choppy and disjointed, but the afore-mentioned use of dream pop-style synths in the track sort of smooths the gap between vox and beat, making “Story” quite coehsive and well-composed. It’s also an interesting answer to the question of whether bass music has hit its peak creatively and can it go other places: in future bass’s case, it can indeed.
While a lot of fun and wholly danceable, it’s unlikely that ravers will see this original version of “Story” on the dancefloor at a festival or club, but it’s not far off the mark there. If the right producer wants to remix it, “Story” could definitely be a fun transition track at an outdoor venue. It may not be EDM, but it’s certainly EDM-ready.
As “Story” is Shea’s first single, it’s unclear if she’ll be sticking with pop-plus-EDM-equals-something-new format, but if she does she may definitely be on to something. Either way it will be interesting to see what she comes up with next.
“Story” by Jillian Shea is out now on Magic Bean Records and available to stream on Soundcloud or Spotify.