I’ve been keeping tabs on James Lee. Wait that sounds creepy. What I mean to say is I’ve been a fan of James Lee for years now. It started with Royal Pirates after I came across their Drawing The Line m/v on Youtube. I was devastated when I read about his accident and consequent retirement. Jump to 2018 when he announced a Kickstarter for his debut solo album. I was excited and felt like a proud family member when I saw how quickly he surpassed his goal. The man is insanely talented, and I was so glad that he hadn’t given up on his dream.

Now here we are in 2020, and James is back with a new EP called Castles. The album consists of 7 tracks that take an intimate look into James’s mind, as he navigates through themes of heartbreak, goodbyes, and holding onto loved ones quickly slipping through your fingers like sand. So let’s dive into this and see how emotional it will make me.

Bad Day

Bad day… I’m falling. Okay, James isn’t giving us a second to ease into the emotional feelings. That’s alright, though, because as soon as the beat drops with this song, I was nodding my head and all emotional thoughts drifted away. I can see myself playing this song on late night drives to nowhere (thanks Coronavirus) with the windows down, thinking of days where we could hang with friends and have a good time.

Erase

“Can I be honest with myself…” Oh, no, James. We are not going to be “honest with ourselves” with this song. Not when we (me) are trying to seem positive and happy during the pandemic. Just as I was starting to feel like my true feelings were being exposed, the bass dropped, and the song morphed into an EDM infused bop that you can dance to. As the song title suggests, we are all trying to erase things that make us feel less than a whole. Even though this is the shortest song on the album, it is, by far, my favorite. 

Liar 2020 Remastered

I swear I was in a good mood going into my first listen of Castles. However, by the time we reached Liar, the simplistic beauty of James’ voice and the guitar had me blubbering by the end of the first verse. When the drums and strings come in, I was ready to just have a good sob in the shower. The lyrics “do you still think of me cause every moment, I still think of you” was enough to have me thinking about past loves that I may or may not have had and wonder, do they ever think of me?

Castles

I don’t know if this will be the title track, but since it has the same name as the album, I wanted to pay extra close attention to it. I needed a breather from crying, and Castles was able to provide that. This song was a faster tempo than the previous one and had an EDM vibe to it. I don’t have much else to add because I was vibing out to this song, like all of the ones I’ve heard. 

Adrenaline

This album is trying to make you think of loves lost and loves that could have been. Adrenaline is fast-paced, so I didn’t notice it at first but darn it, James. Another song where halfway through the 2nd verse, I’m having a montage of high school moments like some popular teen drama from the 90s (yes, I’m that old, mind your business). James creates an alluring tempo as he croons about drowning in the ocean; that is you. Any more songs like this, and I’m going to be immersed in a sea of tears.

Over Us – Stripped Version

Over Us is a song you play when you are with your crush and want to express your feelings but don’t quite know what to say. Honestly, if they had just a hint of feelings toward you, this song will make them fall for you. 100%. It’s that good. The original version of this song is on the album as well but the stripped version packs more of a punch, in my opinion.  James did release a  lyric video for the original version of  Over Us, so definitely check it out.  

Final Thoughts

Overall, Castles is an album that I would play during times when I need to reflect on life and my choices. Or perhaps during a night drive when insomnia has snatched peaceful sleep from me. The album is definitely mood music, and I appreciate James for delivering it to us.

I like James Lee because he always provides a way for his fans to be part of his musical process. He offered various offers on his Patreon for fans to have their names included in the credits of his upcoming music video for “Liar” and the physical copy of the CASTLES EP. I know fans appreciated that immensely.

Give Castles a listen and let me know which track you enjoyed the most!