Review by Matt Ross
Right from its disarmingly low-key intro, the new single from 23-year-old American songwriter and producer Ewreckage (also known as Eric Jay Santos) hits you right in the sun-drenched feels. The first few bars of ‘Crystal Blue’ suggest a simplicity that belies the track’s rich complexity, with sparse guitars and piano lines straight out of early-2000s summer nostalgia, before switching things up with a thumpingly orchestral bass line. That initially surprising juxtaposition is a lot of fun – playful percussion and that pomp-filled undercurrent spar beneath the track’s delicate vocals – and gives ‘Crystal Blue’ a pulsing heartbeat upon which to hang those feel-good vibes. And that glorious sense of longing permeates – “Running back to that beach/Where the water’s crystal blue/I don’t know where our journeys lead/but I choose right here with you.” It’s a festival-esque flashback, a heartfelt love letter to summers gone by and a masterclass in musical build-and-release.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Matt Ross is a freelance music journalist and former deputy editor of Rolling Stone Middle East.
