Before he was collaborating with a who's who of high-profile musicians, FKJ first caught our attention with his amazing remixes and instrumentals that left us in awe of his talent. He expanded upon those sounds when he released his albums French Kiwi Juice and Just Piano, and it looks like he's doing the same with his upcoming collection V I N C E N T, which is set to arrive in June. The multifaceted artist already collaborated with Santana for the set's lead single "Greener," and now he's returning to his instrumental roots for the second song from the set, "Way Out."
"Way Out" is a mood, as the kids would say. Only this time, we really mean it. Rather than give us a clear narrative via song, FKJ instead focuses on a feeling he wanted to express. He achieves this by keeping the vocals to a minimum (the lyrics mainly consist of him melodically chanting "way out" repeatedly). That means that his brilliant and beautiful arrangement of piano and occasional horns does most of the work and gets most of the shine.
Similarly, the video for "Way Out" is a pretty minimalist affair. It starts in black and white as we see FKJ leave his home and then run toward something. What that is isn't clear at first, and then the video switches to color and we're transported to what appears to be an abandoned fairground overrun with vegetation.
It might not be an ideal location, but FKJ delights in the peace he finds there. He sits among its structures and chills all the way out as the vibe slows down and the day wears on.
"'Way Out' is an invitation to leave my busy adult mind and yours too who are listening," FKJ said in a statement about the song. "I put these footsteps and door sounds on the intro because I was imagining this scene of an exit, running away from a too serious and anxious state of mind. The escape would end and I would land in a childish world where the kid inside of me that doesn’t care and just plays would re-emerge. A few days later, I found this abandoned attraction park next to where I live. A playful world left behind and where time did its thing. A whole set that was matching this concept. So we passed through the fences with my homie and shot this video. We later shot the intro at home and matched the foleys that were put on the recording."
We can definitely dig that and, if you find yourself in need of a three-minute vacation, we think you'll probably dig it, too. Check out "Way Out" and its whimsical video when you press play. Also, keep an eye out for FKJ's V I N C E N T, which is set to be released on June 10th.
