rei brown and Joji have just released the track of summer ’22.
Whether you are cruising down the shoreline, on an abandoned trail somewhere with your best friends, or sitting on your porch debating whether or not you should make that one call, “Thinking Bout You” is the soundtrack you need. While Joji’s soundscapes never fail to transcend fantasies and catastrophes alike, rei brown’s guest appearances to Joji’s sonic wonderland present a kind of gentleness that is simply irreplaceable. The pair’s 2020 number, “Normal People,” still preserves some sharp edges and a careless cool. In comparison, “Thinking Bout You” breaks walls, melts hearts and gives just the right amount of empty promises.
rei brown certainly has a thematic universe in mind for his forthcoming LP. Both “Thinking Bout You” and “Could I Be Somebody,” the cinematic single accompanied by a beautiful yet slightly eery music video, drop hints of another dimension where physical and emotional distance become unmeasurable. Though an ambitious goal, the sentimental and calming nature of brown’s voice helps the young Japanese artist illustrates his land of dreams with ease. His wish to create an artistic alternate universe to fulfill his vision is not an unfamiliar one to queer AAPI artists alike.
As a stand-alone single, “Thinking Bout You” has glistening production that makes the track compatible with any hour of the day- in fact, it just might have the power to transform any hour of the day into the best kind of reminiscent-2am. The longtime collaborators perfectly accentuate each other’s verses in a seamless fashion. At its 10th listen, you are likely to ask yourself two questions: when am I going to see them next? And when is the next rei brown/Joji track coming out?
