‘Taking Silence’ is the latest imaginative release from Jonny Ong, bringing together New Orleans’ jazz, psychedelic rock and tripped out harmonies.
Singaporean singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Ong has had a busy year with several single releases including the powerful ‘Isolation’, the emotional ‘Fools’ and the bitter-sounding ‘Chloe’ about a relationship breakdown. He has now teamed up with fellow Singaporean singer-songwriter Inch for new single ‘Taking Silence’ – which is Ong’s first collaborative effort from his upcoming album.
The percussive intro is met with the honeyed vocals of Inch, before you are surprised with a psychedelic orchestral arrangement with strings (Ong’s influences include Cream, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis) and the unique sound of Jonny’s handpan. All these elements come together to create a real atmosphere.
Working with producer and bandmate Callum Rose and Cuban-born trumpet and flugelhorn player Yelfris Valdés on the arrangement, a distinctive pop song was born.
Commenting on the track, Jonny Ong enthused “It’s that mix of the cinematic, with modern touches influenced from trip hop bands like Zero 7 and Morcheeba. There’s also my love of jazz and ‘60s psychedelia in there”, adds Ong.
The purposeful piano tone is reminiscent of the track ‘Black Sheep’ by Australian Gin Wigmore before Jonny cries “She stole my heart and ran away! It’s all part of her powerplay!” You can hear the anger pouring out of him alongside jangly electric guitar like if the Arctic Monkeys collaborated with a jazz band at Ronnie Scotts.
To conclude, ‘Taking Silence’ is an amalgamation of music influences and instruments which stops the track from being musically ‘pigeonholed’ as we have pop, rock, jazz and psychedelia all joining together for everyone to hear. The blend of the two voices builds up the song and these two artists truly sound like they’ve been working together for years. So don’t sit there in silence – add this slice of pop perfection to your playlists now.
‘Taking Silence’ is released on Friday 20th November 2020 via Sound Portal Studios.