Cian Jay, joshua epithet – Dust (Spotify)

“Real life events of a young man layered on dreamy chillhop beat. The story continuers with an echoed chorus. Well produced and full of inner journeys. ”

-Nagamag.com

Cian Jay releases his incredibly thoughtful indie rap EP 'Granite', produced by Zack Teale who also worked with Cian on his debut single 'Summer is Dead', his biggest track to date. The album is a concept piece that takes you through the full process of loss in its complete truth, it is out 27th August on all streaming platforms.

‘Dust’ is from a poem that Cian wrote when he originally came up with the concept of this album, it feels like a track where he completely bares his soul he touches on subjects of toxic masculinity that overshadows the underlying subject of male mental health. This track is a beautiful ode to the lessons that his grandfather taught him, where he subtly encourages men to be vulnerable as emotions are for humans they are not for a specific gender.

Granite in Cian's own words - "It’s about loss. The loss of a loved one, or a loss of self. The deterotiation of ‘Granite’ (new life) to ‘Dust’ (no life). It goes through the stages of grief. A lot of heartache went into this. Losing my grandfather and the big reality of ‘death’ setting in - This album was made to ruminate on all this, trying to come to terms with some kind of peace on the way. To work through these emotions and come out with some kind of clarity at the end. I find talking very helpful; I’m a big oversharer. But this was different. It was very therapeutic. All was recorded within Zack Teale's shed. It was a gentle, yet a kind of ‘powerhouse’ for creativity - A safe haven even."

Cian Jay is an independent singer, songwriter and producer from the UK. Debuting in 2019, Cian has gained a small but dedicated following through social media and his real life advertising of his music.

Reviewed by Nagamag on September 13, 2021