Today’s an exciting day. The last time we heard from longtime P&P favorite Jon Waltz, he took a major step forward on “Riot”—one of our favorite songs of 2016. Now, the Memphis artist returns with his first new music in two years.
On “Backstreets,” Waltz proves once again that it can pay off to go against the grain and have patience with an art form that so many people feel rushed to produce. Like all of our favorite Jon Waltz songs, this holds a timeless quality that’s comforting and enjoyable on first listen, while being daring enough to approach sounds from angles we haven’t quite heard before.
Over warm guitars, Waltz invokes a sense of nostalgia with silky vocals in the song’s opening thirty seconds, before maneuvering into a danceable groove that grows and evolves in unexpected ways. Like the evening summer drive described in the song, “Backstreets” isn’t in a hurry—willing to loosen up and explore interesting new corners.
This one was well worth the wait. It’s great to have you back, Jon.