Despite having been in the hip-hop and rap scene for over ten years now, Joshua Lloyd originally started out his musical endeavours writing guitar melodies inspired by pop punk of the early 2000’s. And now with his new single White Lies he returns to those roots to flex his muscles and kick off a new chapter in his career.
Straight out the gate, there’s an upbeat and catchy guitar riff that encapsulates the essence of White Lies. With a fun feeling style, there’s an underlying feeling that something is off that is expressed in the lyrics perfectly.
These lyrics are pushed out in a fast paced, urgent style, giving away Lloyd’s rap trappings. Yet like a lot of punk contemporaries, these quick-fire lyrics are a staple of many artists, with vocals that keep up with the equally speedy guitar riffs and all around tempo of the song.
At their core, the lyrics reflect a bittersweet relationship, one where the singer’s POV is one of utter entrapment and love. Telling the story of someone who is infatuated with a person who will never be theirs, due to their need to lie and bail out of a relationship going any further. Sadly the singer knows this and yet still perceivers as best they can to try and make it work amid the ‘pretty little white lies’.
In other departments, White Lies is full of plenty of pop-punk staples, including upbeat and positive guitar riffs that push out at breakneck speed, with drums that match the sense of urgency with a feeling of ‘we aren’t going to live forever’ kind of mood. They’re full of happiness despite the situation, and just match the mood perfectly.
To close out, White Lies is a surprising track, with Lloyd bouncing to a completely different genre than his usual style. But despite the big leap, he nails the landing perfectly and puts out a song that wouldn’t be out of place among the timeless juggernauts of the genre that are experiencing a real revival right now. Amongst the new wave of artists within the genre, Joshua Lloyd looks more comfortable than ever despite his extensive backlog in a polar opposite genre.