Your EDM introduced Jillian Shea last year with her interesting combo of grassroots, Taylor Swift-style pop and heavy future bass beats in her debut single “Story.” After being featured on Billboard and TigerBeat for that single, Shea is back to sink her teeth into some more complex sound with “Barely Changed.”
It’s interesting when comparing “Story” to “Barely Changed” because the two tracks seem to be mirror images of themselves in terms of style. While the melodies and vocals in “Story” bordered on bubble gum hippie pop its beats and bass were dark and brooding. In “Barely Changed,” Shea explores some darker melodies and brooding lyrics while the bass and beats are quite a bit lighter. It’s this juxtaposition of light and dark that’s drawn both pop and EDM fans in to focus on Shea, and it seems she’s starting to play with it a bit to find her best sound.
The somewhat lighter beat structure in “Barely Changed” is of the trap persuasion and the synths are very ravey. Shea and her producers took a page out of the Bassnectar rule book for this one and it’s definitely worked. The more emotive vocals see the former Disney star exploring both her vocal and songwriting range and they fit right in with the contrasting beats to combine tones and make a really complex track.
Whether you’re looking at Jillian Shea from a pop or an EDM perspective, she’s definitely an artist to keep an eye on as she develops her sound away from her bubblegum past. With such high-quality music at the beginning of her solo career, she’s starting with good footing to take her in any direction she wishes.
“Barely Changed” is out now and can be streamed on Spotify.