Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Offering us a swift gallop that carries more emotional weight than a mere line of lyrics ever could on its own, the rhythmic pulse of “Not A Real Blond” by Jojo Engelbert reaches through the speakers and demands a reaction out of us right out of the gate. There’s a capriciousness to the tempo that seems to entice us closer with every passing moment, and although it verges of menacing on more than one occasion, it never becomes so intimidating as to hasten the melodic wit of Engelbert’s voice – which is soon to overtake the track, I might add. Her vocal is the true star of this initially rush-hour-paced piece, and despite her choosing a rather difficult composition to show off her sound with, I think it demonstrates her skillset as a performer all the more gloriously.
Engelbert’s lyrical content describes a raw emotionality masked in charisma, and while connubial with the hurried stride of the percussion in the background, its cathartic underpinnings aren’t lost in the contrast at all. Contrarily, I think juxtaposition is more of an ally to this player’s style of execution than it is a challenge for her to take on, mostly because it allows for her to spotlight a rare lyrical duality more human than the typical pop-punk model can compete with. There is no artificiality to back up this hook, nor does the emotion in her statements come riddled with forced poeticisms and metaphors we’ve heard in other tracks this fall. Her methods might be a bit technical, but the wry qualities they introduce to this narrative make the music more familiar and accessible to the casual listener.
I’d love to hear Engelbert belt this chorus out live on stage, primarily because I feel like she’s intentionally holding back from us in the studio version of “Not A Real Blond,” even with all of her attitude here. There’s a deliberate restraint that she sports with a fetching swagger, and instead of creating more volatility in an already knotty arrangement, it adds to the anxious vibe we started with in the song’s opening bars. Beneath all of the implied stress and tension in this tempo, there’s a sonic wink existing within our lyrical protagonist just waiting to come bursting out of its shell, perhaps connecting with a collective desire for acceptance quite common in kids as well as adults these days.
Jojo Engelbert presents a surprisingly sharp sound in “Not A Real Blond” that isn’t to be ignored this September, and while she’s still quite edgy and unrefined in some areas of her songwriting style, they’re nevertheless essential to giving this single the authenticity it features so liberally. It takes a gutsy player to produce something equally literate and wistful without relying on throwback pop aesthetics that we’ve heard more than a couple of times before, and for being a completely fresh face on the international pop stage, Engelbert doesn’t sound intimidated by the task before her here at all. She’s got the drive to make a big showcase in what’s already becoming quite the intriguing generation of pop musicians, and “Not A Real Blond” tells us this without fail.
Vera Mitchell
