Austin-based artist Ray Prim invigorates on new single “The Joker,” where rousing guitars and emotive strings collide with a timeless-sounding allure. “Girl, if you get to know me,” Prim’s soulful vocal entrancement shows, as funky key crawls and buzzy guitars meld into colorful organs. The bluesy fervency that takes hold here stimulates, particularly as the “holding on,” sequence shifts into a piano-led sophisti-pop intrigue. “The Joker” wastes no time strutting a stylistic versatility, succeeding in the funky charisma and debonair gliding alike — finding enjoyable middle ground in the title-referencing chorus, which shows shades of Steely Dan within a touch of Beatles-esque nostalgia.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
