Genre-disrupting star Jelani Aryeh makes waves with his new complex single “Hang On” which dropped last May 17. The up-and-coming artist headlined The Wild Honey Pie x Stereogum Present: A Pizza Party at Round Top last February and played at the inaugural First River Festival in October 2021.
“Hang On” is accompanied by a visually stunning short film shot by acclaimed photographer Silken Weinberg in Yosemite National Park. “Hang On,” co-written with Jonny Pierce (The Drums) is the final single release off Aryeh’s upcoming sophomore album, The Sweater Club, out everywhere June 14.
Sonically, “Hold On” presents as a clipped, summer-ready feast of alt-pop. Yet, its lyrics dive headfirst into the bewitching early stages of love, particularly the exploration of the relationship between pleasure and pain. The interplay between its uptempo rhythm and trance-like melody further saturates the song with this bittersweet feeling. “Hold On” captures a sentiment where emotional struggle and connection through adversity can lead to a form of cathartic pleasure or deeper understanding.
Jelani Aryeh explains, “This is a sister song to “I’m In Love.” I think it comes from a more sincere place, or maybe honest is the right word. While “I’m In Love” is kind of in a fantasy/heady space, this one is me quite literally wishing I was speaking to this person. It’s talking about the same things but from a more dark and submissive kind of place.”
The previous release that Aryeh references leans heavily into the indie-rock aspects of “Hang On,” but from a more optimistic, idealized standpoint with lyrics like “a fantasy version of us, don’t wake me from this dreaming, just let me hold onto this dream that I have…”. The young artist first broke into the scene with his single “Stella Brown.” However, this distinct emotional perspective is one Aryeh has been drawing from since before 2019 in his debut EP “Helvetica” which includes popular favorites like “Brown” and “Marigold.”
Fans old and new can find this release and links to the upcoming album The Sweater Club here.
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