Yes, you did read the headline correctly. Benny Blanco, Vance Joy, and Marshmello may be an unlikely trio to work together, but they made it WORK. “You” is the name of the collaboration and they did indeed infuse folk, pop, and EDM into a single song. The track is lighthearted and deep at the same time. As usual, Vance Joy speaks to the listener’s soul. Meanwhile, Blanco and Marshmello breathed their airy songwriting and production into the track. “You” is the warm hug of a track that we needed during this cold winter.
The lyrics speak of the classic struggle of missing someone. “You” is the person they’re missing, even when they’re with someone else. Vance sings of acknowledging past mistakes. Lines like, “But I’m learning what it’s like to open up a different sidе // ‘Cause whеn something hurts this much I know it’s rеal,” are beautiful and show the human nature of hurting then learning from those mistakes. In all, this song is simple, but captures sure a universal feeling. And in the end, the final bridge gives a little spark of hope.
Musically, “You” is extremely unique as it brings elements of all three artists to the table. Vance brings his folky vocals and instrumentals. Benny Blanco and Marshmello match his energy, but infuse some pop and dance vibes into the track. Instead of a traditional bass drop, the “drop” is when the folk music kicks it into high gear. The percussion instruments kick in, but still keep it light. Basically, it’s a lively track that demonstrates a successful way to collaborate.
Since everyone is in creation mode while quarantining, we continue to be gifted cool and unexpected collaborations. We’d love to see Benny and Marshmello continue working with more unique artists that may be outside of their typical sound. And for Vance Joy, it’s been almost three years since the last album so it’s lovely to hear his voice again. Here’s to more unique art like “You” in 2021 (and fingers crossed for more Vance Joy). And if you didn’t think this track was wholesome enough, Blanco put together a fun claymation music video for the track.
Featured Image: UMG
