𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 - this week: Happy Now (feat. Jack Ronan) - June Holland

Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly - an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙤𝙬 (𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙍𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙣) - 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙

Charles socks it to you with a smile…

The life of an artist can be a trying one. Oh, let’s face it, the life of a person can be a trying one. There is always so much to do. So much to think about. So much to worry about. So much to push for. So much to strive for. And so much to bring you down. So let’s have breakfast and look at the news. Bad, worse, absolutely bloody terrible. It’s exhaustingly negative, and all true. This is not how I wanted to start my day. I have a lot to do! Ah, now here’s something. It’s “lighthearted” and jovial. “Dolce & Gabbana launches luxury perfume for dogs”. And I’m sad to say that this was not made up. This is a genuine article headline in The Times today (Monday - when I write these things). Riiiiight. So that’s all good. Paper to one side, methinks. I mean, if it isn’t catastrophically dreadful and deeply depressing, it’s absolutely downright moronic. Coffee. That’s a good thing. Sip sip sip. Noyce. But I have heard that it can be bad for the heart. Hmm… Well, I’ll put that on my list of things to mildly concern me and look into later. As I start my day, I realise it’s Monday. Well, I don’t realise; I KNOW. Monday has that big invisible clanging bell hanging over it as soon as the wakey-wakey alarm does its thang. Bastard Monday. The best and worst thing Bob Geldof ever did was to make us all come together in agreement, in not liking Mondays. I don’t even have to tell you why.

Luckily for you, it’s Tuesday. Monday is dead and buried at least for now, only to rise again in a week’s time. Bastard Monday. Tuesday is an altogether more forgiving day. It is that little bit closer to Friday, which is closely followed by our precious weekend. The days you all go out and enjoy yourselves, while I try to get as much work done as possible - the life of a self-employed music man. Ho-hum! But today being Tuesday, I relentlessly subject you to my drivelling guff. Lucky you! Look, it takes your mind off the things in life that bring you down, if for a couple of handfuls (handsful?) of minutes. The thing is, after you’re done with this article, you’ll start to stress again. You’ll start to worry. You’ll start to think how much you have to do. Life in general will be heavy once more. The musicians will worry if their music is good enough, or if they have done enough promo, or if there’s something absolutely imperatively massive that they might have forgotten about. Because it’s life or death!! So that’s musicians. The normal people will be trying to better their career. They’ll be obsessed with LinkedIn “smarts” and “top tips” on how to be pro-active in the modern field and not be left behind. Ugh. They will look at where they are, and strive for the ideal. Push push PUSH!!! This is not just in terms of career, but in all ways. Could the home be bigger and better? How about the relationship? Could the kids be in better schools? Should we really be living here? Strive, strive, strive. Push, push, push. Worry, worry, worry. What this all leads to is miserable, miserable, miserable.

You see, these days there is just so much pressure from the press (gotta get that D&G pooch perfume), from social media (look at those cheekbones!) and from general society (my work pal has not only got this, but also that. And in Spain!), that it is hard not to even attempt to compete. Sometimes the best thing to do is to distance oneself from everything and everyone, if just for a brief bit, and look at what you have. Look at who you are. Look at WHERE you are. Now, this might not apply to everyone reading this, but chances are the majority is completely and utterly fine! Things are actually good. Of course, things can always be better, but really, with all this worry, you’re missing out on what is already there. You probably have a really nice life, but you don’t realise it because you’re too busy thinking and worrying about the next step. Life is current. Life is not only the future. The now is just as important as the future. In fact, I would argue it is MORE important. The future is more about simply maintaining and conserving the goodness that you already hold. Besides, tomorrow you might be hit by a bus! Now, THERE'S a cheery thought. I have spoken about striving in the past. I am all for striving. But not if it breaks you. Not if it scraps what you have so far. Striving should be effort, not a gamble. Don't throw away your achievements thus far, with the vain hope that things might improve. Sit down. Don't think. Things are good. Now smile. Come on, you can do it. Little more? There we go! God, those shoulders! Relax! You look like you've been forced to say "cheese" for a photo opportunity with the in-laws! There we go. Made you laugh. You see? Shoulders are out of your ears. Ears begging for headphones, I feel... Plop!

What better time for June than August? Well, I suppose perhaps June would have been a better time for June, but June is not the here or the now. August is. And yet June is still peeking! Cheeky June. In fact, we are incredibly fortunate in having June all year round! I of course speak not of a month, but of a person. Oh, let’s face it, an artist. Please welcome June Holland, everyone! Oh sorry, June has something to say. Yes, my dear? “Erm, it’s not just me on this song, so can you also welcome my friend Jack? I mean, if that’s okay?” - why, of COURSE!! Such a polite young lady. Please give a warm welcome to June Holland and Jack Ronan for their new release, Happy Now!! Happy Now, June? “Absolutely, thank you!”. While sticking a question mark at the end of this title might seem like a sadistic threat, the title does not have a question mark, so it’s all sunshine and lollipops. Not to mention rainbows.

The song is all about everything I mentioned above. Good vibes, right now. Literally a message of positivity. And by Jingo, we need it. Several people have mentioned to me lately a certain observation in music. Sad songs. That in this frankly pretty shitty time in the history of things, people are being all too realistic in their works. I am aware that art should be genuine and that we should be working from our own experience, thoughts and feelings, but this is all a bit much. If life is seemingly so cruddy, why make it that much more cruddy by singing about it?? I am also aware that I am being extremely hypocritical in having released “Hell is Other People (Part 1)”, with Part 2 being my next release. But I did at least release a slightly more optimistic, courageous one on Friday, called “Marchin’ On”. Not to get confused with Jason Justly’s “Marching On”, released the very same day - a truly astounding coincidence. Basically, although there is a lot of current crud to write about, should we be leaving the listeners on a low? Should we leave them in tears or even angry? Music is supposed to be the escape! And with Happy Now, I successfully escaped.

June and Jack (based in England) have known each other for years. This wasn’t a cheap internet pick-up. I love this increasing rarity of musicians actually knowing each other - in real life. Ya know: actually meeting up. The way it used to be. The only way it could have been! How ELSE would we make music together?? Well, the internet came along and changed all that. The good thing is, it means that we are all brought together. I work with so many musicians and artists from all over the world, but I have actually met very few of them. This is the bad. It’s a shame, but an understandable shame - because we’re all living in different countries. Meeting in person is dying, and it’s a pity. Curse you, Zoom!! Luckily for June and Jack, this is not the case, as you will see in their many videos together as they promote this great new song. It made such a difference to see their interaction. There is some great sadness though. They seem to share the same dreadful taste in socks. On a more positive note, let’s talk about these two individuals. I know little about Jack, but having done a tiny bit of research I can clearly see that he’s a good, kind chap. A smiley guy who either feels positive, or desperately WANTS to feel positive: hence the song. He is also très talented! All the guitar parts are him, and he put a lot of the song together. Which leaves us with June. We all know how talented she is. We all know how effortlessly tremendous her voice is. We all know she’s a multi-instrumentalist. And we all know she’s blonde (more on that in a bit). But for me, the main thing that makes her stand out from the crowd is something you probably also know. Her positivity. She isn’t a moaner. She doesn’t do the “mental helf” tactic. And before you people with genuine mental health issues run to the comments to destroy me like a riotous thug, I am on your side. Negative mental health is a problem, not a promotion tactic!! June Holland exudes positivity at every turn. This doesn’t mean that she has a dream life or that everything is perfect for her. She just chooses to see the sunny side rather than wallow. In the words of Chris Martin, "... and it was all yellow".

Now, speaking of yellow, I mentioned June being blonde. This wasn’t any kind of cheeky jibe or suggestion that she is simple, easy, dumb, or any of the other stereotypical things that people once said about the word blonde before stereotyping was made illegal by the forces that be. I mentioned it for a different reason entirely! Firstly, blonde suits June very well. It does not suit everyone, and dying one’s hair blonde will not turn you into Marilyn Monroe or Robert Redford. “Get with the times, man!” - okay then: Sabrina Carpenter or Ryan Gosling. Happy now??! (see how a little punctuation can swing things a different way?)… ANYway! Things is always blonde with June, but she made a big, bold decision. In the days and weeks previous to the release, June made a promise to her fans all over her social media. Here was the deal: if she gets more than 50 pre-saves for Happy Now, she will dye her hair pink. She of course easily succeeded in gaining these pre-saves, and so became a pink lady! Not neon hot pink, but more Stephanie Zinone pink - let me know in the comments if you can name the film. And let June know if you like her new hair! But only if you do. HAH! (don’t worry, June. I like it). And what about Jack? Jack promised he’d smile even more, and he was true to his word.

Final thoughts on the song? Oh GOD! The song! Sorry, I was so engrossed in this whole newfangled concept of happiness that I forgot to talk about it! Well evidently it’s damned good, or it wouldn’t be here in my Corner. Everything is just right. The piano, the drums, acoustic guitars and the refreshing jazz guitar solo. And then of course, June’s dreamy voice is perfect. The chords are quite jazzy, or more specifically, acid jazzy. Think Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies and Corduroy, with influence from Stevie Wonder. There’s also a touch of country in there. Probably best to listen for yourselves. What do YOU have to say about the song?

Oh, and that laugh at the end of the song? So natural and just so sunny June. Turns out there were around 20 takes! Which made me laugh, as I just KNOW the laugh was genuine every time. Just imagine trying to record a laugh multiple times. It’s gonna make you laugh.

Those socks though… Mind you, it’s probably Dolce & Gabbana’s winter line for your pet meerkat.

Listen to 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙤𝙬 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙤𝙬 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Watch 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙤𝙬 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 on Instagram HERE!

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