Stephanie’s DJ Pick of the week is “Life Is” by singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt.
Pratt stakes her claim in folk music with her haunting bossa nova-esque sound. Her style is dreamlike and leaves it’s listeners in an intriguing feeling of musical limbo- somewhere in between, before the song, and after. Her name appears in the niche avant-garde sub-genre, freak folk. A style of music defined by the combination of traditional folk music and experimental sounds, vocals, and instrumentation.
Here In The Pitch, Jessica Pratt’s fourth studio album features “Life Is”. Her album takes heavy inspiration from 1970s hippie-era California, her home state. Nostalgia plagues Pratt’s sound through her soft spoken vocals and classic 1960s sounding guitar picking. Her music’s vintage, ethereal sound appeals to older fans of the folk genre and uniquely, modern artists. Pratt recently collaborated with artist A$AP Rocky on his song “HIGHJACK” and can be heard in a sample on pop star Troye Sivan’s song “Can’t Go Back, Baby”.
“Life Is” takes the feeling of suspension to a new level. “Time is time and time and time again (and what would you say if you can’t get out of here?)” Layered over a beautifully simple chord progression and bongo rhythm, Pratt’s lyricism calls the listener to question the meaning of life. Existentialism never sounded so beautiful. Additionally, the melody varies as the lyrics gain optimism and remains monotonous when words repeat again and again and again. The song never takes itself too seriously, despite Pratt’s call to action being a profound one.
Here In The Pitch is the type of album to spin while sitting on the front porch of a haunted house at sundown sipping a glass of lemonade. Here, peace and deep internal questioning exist together in harmony.
Watch the Official Video for “Life Is” below!
Tune in to 100.1 FM or lightning100.com all day to hear “Life Is” by Jessica Pratt, Stephanie’s DJ Pick of the Week! Also, share your thoughts on the track by tagging #L100DJPicks on Twitter!
