JWords
Sound Therapy
SELF-RELEASED
JWords has decided that calmness will lead the way in her thirties. Coming off of a rather turbulent Saturn return, the Brooklyn-based producer has leaned into her artistry as a means of grounding, using music to take stock of blessings and sift through the chaos. True to its name, her newly released album Sound Therapy invites the listener to revitalize and reflect, with JWords wrapping us in soft synthscapes as she reconnects with her emceeing roots.
Opener “L0tus” begins with a series of flickering synths that embed themselves deep into your chest, settling the nerves and setting the stage for the restorative journey that’s about to unfold. “Lush” ups the ante with a driving kick drum as JWords grabs the mic for the first time, repeating the simple mantra of “I see me in you / I see you in me” to center herself and the listener for the rest of the session.
The heart of our visit to Sound Therapy is marked by “Void 222,” which sees JWords flex her pen as she looks to rebalance the discord that’s defined the past couple of years for her. Ruminations on the double entendre of “avoid” and “a void” float over the droning ambience, JWords’ bars functioning almost as a drum break amid the otherwise groundless synthwork. After a moment of reflection is granted by the electro-beat “Gr8teful,” she hops back on the mic to detail her realizations on “Clarity”: “I’m on the other side of it all / Things had to fall to rise again.” A dizzying Nappy Nina verse closes out the track, dancing over the footwork beat as synth melodies zoom in and out.
While trying to trace a throughline across Sound Therapy, I kept returning to the word “tranquility.” JWords’ careful approach here is first and foremost one of peace: The synths are soothing and the drum loops lower your heart rate, while the timbre of her vocals when rapping has the same gentleness as a handwritten letter from an old friend checking in. Despite the tumult that led her here—or perhaps because of it—JWords has found her tranquility, and Sound Therapy invites you to join her in this calming space.
