Establishing the mood with intricate acoustic guitar arpeggios and textured, hand played percussion, Jodie Austen opens Anyway with descriptive prose with reference to her muse as she sings, “Your smile, your face, your cheekbones, your grace…”
The opus expands with poetic prowess and narrative driven approach to songwriting as Jodie shares her soul, lived experience and authenticity with captivating hooks. We learn that Anyway manifested first as a love note, which only finished after the relationship came to an end.
The overarching energy of the song is laced with self-realized energy, the final line is “I hope you’re ok”, and the philosophy of Anyway is acceptance for the experience, for the connection and for what Jodie shared with her muse.
It has a cinematic allure, perfect for a romantic film that has a similar story. Jodie’s approach is mature, refined and wise. Not a single note feels bitter, she is at peace and the song itself serves as a cathartic release for her and anyone who might have been in a similar situation. It is rooted in the understanding that sometimes people are in our lives for a reason or a season, and that not all connections are meant to last forever.
As her debut single, this level of consciousness is something that we can hope to see more of from the emerging artist. She cites Joni Mitchell and Gracie Abrams as influences, and Jodie tells us how she crafts songs to guide and uplift us.
Naturally, we have added Anyway to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we anticipate future releases from Jodie Austen!