By. Alicia Zamora
The Delicacy of John Cha’s Potatoy
Introducing Potatoi
Former member of Korean Indie band Wave to Earth. SoonJong Cha known as John Cha announced earlier last year that he would be focusing on his solo work. With his busy schedule of touring with his band Wave to Earth, he still managed to release such a masterpiece.
With this EP, you can feel his burdens, worries, and deep inner thoughts.
This EP he released under the title “Toy” includes seven new tracks. With this ep, you can see the delicacy that revolves around it. You could see how much time and effort was put into it. This EP is beautifully made. From the lyrics to the melodies, everything just flows so beautifully.
Starting with Track one “Toy” is more of an introduction to what the listener is about to get into. It's all instrumental and then in the ending he introduces himself as Potatoi.
Diving into the Tracks
Track two “Image” this song was one of the pre-release tracks from the album. Yet every time it's being played it feels like a universal message. This song is something that has so much passion and drive. It's something relatable where you can feel the artist through the voice. It's something real. You can feel the connection John is trying to make with the listeners. It brings you to a new place. The way his voice blends in so smoothly with the melody makes you instantly feel how real, authentic, and versatile his work is.
Track 3: Shade
Track three “Shade” this track has more of an upbeat vibe to it. The start of it sounds more retro mixed with an electric instrumental. It sounds futuristic you can hear more of the bass and his tone is a lot higher than in previous songs. This feels like a happy song like one of those songs that feels like a pat on the back and a “good job”. His low vocals blend in so perfectly with the beat of the song. If the song were a color it would be the color light blue. This song feels like you're looking up at the sky and feeling the vastness of the open air.
John’s New Ep Is as Sweet as a Popsicle
Track four “Popsicle” is sweet and calming. This song feels the way a hug would feel like. The lyrics and the smooth but calm melody bring it all together. His voice blends in with the instrumental. It's soothing and it reminds me of eating cotton candy. With the lyrics “If I had some time to make you my lover – your eyes are sweet limes and you're already inside of my mind.” It has a sweet ring to it hence the title Popsicle. This song feels like a song that you could dedicate to a lover or someone special. It makes you feel like you are sitting near the ocean and the breeze is hitting you. It's comforting and relaxing.
Track 5: Evening Glow
Track five “Evening Glow” brings back so many memories. John’s voice is so soft and sweet. The way you can feel every detail in this song. This song feels like everything will eventually be okay. The way it's so soft-spoken yet so loud when you listen to what he’s saying. He voices his emotions so well throughout this whole album but this song feels so soothing and nostalgic. Hearing “If I feel broken, you will find me”. “Those useless words were falling apart on me, I’m struggling in my world”. He voices what emptiness feels like in such a beautiful way. His words are comforting and It's one of those songs that you can play and feel a sense of relief that you’re understood and that it’s okay to feel a bit hopeless.
Track six: Vanish
Track six “Vanish” this song is impeccable. The way he starts it off with such a low tone but it feels so dreamy. This song feels sad but so powerful. You can sense the emotions and feel a sort of emptiness in it. It instantly starts and his tone says it all. It feels like he’s trying to be everyone's shoulder to cry on as if he's saying being the reliable one can sometimes be burdening and isolating. There’s a theme with all of these songs and it’s that he wasn’t afraid to put his emotions into it. He wasn’t afraid to tell a story with those persistent emotions. It's not something that can just vanish so he made music with it. He made something so beautiful out of something so sad and burdening.
Track Seven: Plain Life
Track seven “Plain Life” was such a lovely way of ending the ep. This song which grew to be one of my favorites speaks so clearly to you. It has a way of letting you feel such strong emotions. It lets you create a beautiful picture in your head. The way the melodies flow so beautifully with the bass in the background. The little high vocals that are added into the middle and the way his voice just soothes the ear. Near the end when his voice starts to range into more of a higher pitch, it still plays softly in the ear. The tone of the music is bright like a ray of light. It's one of those songs that feel like sunshine, a song you can put on when you need to feel at ease.
This song feels more like a love song for a hopeless romantic. Someone who just went through a heartbreak but is still in the process of losing what they once had. It feels like this song is reminiscing all those memories and all that time they spent with each other. It feels like a story of vanishing love is being told. He speaks about everything they went through and everything they did together but now it's time to let it all go and continue to live life.
Potatoi
Overall, you can see how much time and effort John put into this album. He went on Instagram to post once the EP was released and spoke about the creation of this EP starting in May. With that being said once you listen to all seven tracks you can see how he perfectly captures his deeply rooted emotions and memories. In each song, he's conveying something so beautiful. His music connects with the listener. You get immersed in what you feel is a whole new dimension. This EP was truly a masterpiece and I can't wait to see what else he has planned!