- Bryon Harris
Jukka Westhues – ‘Silent Disguise’
Jukka Westhues is an alternative artist from a long musical descent with roots in Finland and Indiana. Growing up in a musical family, Jukka had no doubt that he would delve into playing, recording and writing his own music. In his early years, he was greatly influenced by alternative and punk music, however draws from a wide array of inspirations for his music such as Americana, dreampop, jazz, and psychedelic genres. Recently, Jukka unveiled his musical vision with the release of his debut album, ‘Few and Far Between.’ From this album, his song “Silent Disguise” showcases his intimate sound.
The song opens with a funky, rhythmic chord progression on acoustic guitar that is soon accompanied a flourish of electric guitar. An ambient drone fades in from the background as the intro continues to build momentum towards the chorus and the drums and bass enter leading into the first verse. The intro immediately sets an undeniable groove that will have you jamming before the vocals even enter. They then enter singing, “Empty thoughts are keeping me up tonight/Memories of our long forgotten might/Anticipate no strangers in the calm of the night/Wrap ourselves in the cold, out of sight,” displaying a deep bass tone in the forefront layered with a higher octave creating a nice effect on the vocals.
“Silent Disguise” is written from the perspective of someone who on the outside looking in on the world and trying to find their place. Each verse explains their thoughts while they are observing while the chorus brings the theme together singing, “Getting by can be sometimes hard enough to do/Looking for a lighted path to find my way through/Won’t understand, won’t comprehend, won’t skip to the end/Won’t leave my pride awaiting your mend.” With each passing verse, the song builds energy with riveting instrumental breaks featuring sultry saxophone solos that will keep you enticed to the song from beginning to end.
Jukka Westhues has a unique sound with a wide array of influences that make for an easily enjoyable music experience. “Silent Disguise” is just one song from his debut album, ‘Few and Far Between,’ which is available for fans via iTunes, Bandcamp, CDBaby, and Spotify. For more information on Jukka Westhues, visit their website.