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A piano’s honest melody darts in and out of view as we wade through the deep sonic waters of Taylor Jules’ “Helicopter,” but as we’re soon to learn, its role will be quite significant in this performance. This pop juggernaut was forged in emotional fires, but it doesn’t contain any overdriven guitars, embellished rap interludes, or stylistic references to anything “retro” in nature. “Helicopter” celebrates a style of introspective and brooding pop we need more of right now, as well as the futuristic tonality of a recording artist who knows no limits when it comes to creating a high-definition beat worthy of her lead vocal. Let it be known that Taylor Jules is an artist who wants to push the envelope as much as possible in 2023, but her music isn’t woefully eccentric in the least.
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There’s a very casual feel to this rhythm, but the spacious environment which only grows larger with every passing beat in the song never goes unutilized. Every bit of space here is occupied with a boisterous tonality that, even in the case of the rather pushy bass parts, never feels anything but genuine. I’ve listened to a lot of pop music coming out of the Los Angeles underground in the last few months, but few of the artists I’ve come across have had the simple yet swaggering command of the mic this player does.
“Helicopter” doesn’t have the hip-hop undertow that a lot of this player’s peers’ output does, but it shouldn’t be dismissed as a rebuffing of contemporary influences; after all, if you had a voice as soulful as this one, you wouldn’t want it to be covered up by anything in the final product. You could interpret this particular song a lot of different ways, and because it doesn’t have any implications from its title and signature hook, we’re able to draw something different out of it with every spin that we give it. Emotion is at the heart of this piece, and a desire for self-reconciliation beyond what we get in most romantic relationships.
You simply can’t go wrong with the lush piano play that affords this track its centerpiece. It’s the best element in the song outside of the vocal, and from where I sit, its physicality and unrestrained emotion provide listeners with more than enough reason to come back to Taylor Jules’ catalog of music as she defines her skillset further in the future.
I wasn’t aware of Taylor Jules before I got into this single, but having fallen for the energy she’s able to push forth in this performance, I am looking forward to hearing more tracks like this one. Jules is the type of musician who strikes me as a musician whose only real focus as a performer is on the medium, and how she will channel its greatest strengths in a personal piece like this one. She’s got my approval as a journalist and a pop fan, and once you listen to “Helicopter,” I have a feeling that she’ll win yours.
Jennifer Hurtzler
