Photos Courtesy of Josie Dunne
Chicago pop-soul singer-songwriter Josie Dunne just released a collaborative new single with Jake Scott today - “CWJBHN” (or Can We Just Be Happy Now). The 22-year-old singer’s past work, including the thrilling 2020 album Late Teens/Early Twenties and To Be The Little Fish, presented the hot topics of teen pop like young love, pressures in school, and establishing identity with a unique and electrifying style.
The buzz surrounding her musical catalogue is pretty justified, especially when the talk centers on her vibrant, addictive beats and mixture of rock and electronic pop sound. Although her lyrics often aren’t anything groundbreaking, Dunne shows that it’s not what’s presented but how it’s presented that matters. Her shimmery vocal performance and funky beats deliver songs that - pardon the truism - are worth more than the sum of their parts, and CWJBHN is no exception. The best element of this new collaboration has to be the immensely satisfying harmony between the two singers. Their combined vocal performance makes for several stand out moments in the track, including several beautiful lines in the chorus - “even if it doesn’t work out, even if it doesn't make sense and you never see me again, can we just be happy now”. Again, Dunne and Scott’s pop lyrics are about as straight forward and relatable to its teen audience as they come; no typical pop song stone is left unturned, especially in lines like “scared I might be falling for you way too fast because my heart is still healing”. That said, the professional and vibrant craft at work behind CWJBHN and Dunne’s work as a whole sets her a tier above the sea of pop music out there today.
