Joys Of jorud: The Sobs Guitarist’s Solo Project Is An Exuberant Dose Of Power-Pop & Hypertronica

jorud is Jared’s manic musicality unleashed (Credit: Daniel Pei)

It’s always fascinating to witness the solo detours and side projects of already-established musicians. Jared Lim is one such industry mainstay who’s evidently kept busy, most notably with his contributions as a guitar-wielding core member of adored indie bands, Sobs and Subsonic Eye. But beyond nailing killer riffs and touring the world, Jared is also a proficient producer who branches out with a disparate outlandish sound; a sound he’s embraced wholeheartedly with his jorud alias. Like bursting out of a cocoon, jorud now takes flight with a 10-track album irreverently dubbed The song, and it's a concentrated culmination of his production escapades that tastes like sweet nectar.

The song in its entirety feels like a fleeting Utopian daydream with a cloud nine forecast – chipper and relentless. Opening track “Uh-oh” feels like a simulation of a ’90s power pop track, banging against your bedroom walls with glowy guitars and a summery chorus climax. The album takes pride in its spirit of collaboration with its several guest spots. This includes the album’s title track with Manila’s The Purest Blue, sporting a shuffling breakbeat, cheeky minor dips, UFO synths and vocoder vocals giving it that cheery robotic edge – more Astro Bot than Terminator.  

jorud’s release even salutes his Singaporean roots. The penultimate “Wideview” with experimental musician elo elo is skittish and frenetic, with stuttering staccato elements exploding like pop rocks on your tongue; a prelude before its full-on techno-laced outburst. And on “Friend”, which features his Sobs bandmate Cayenne, we get amp-thumping basslines and layered millefeuille synths that pile on with Passion Pit ebullience, bubbling amidst Cayenne’s consciously auto-tuned vocals.

Upon first listen, jorud’s release is not unlike that throbbing feeling when you’ve just alighted from an exhilarating theme park ride. It’s giddifying and will topple you off balance, yet it’s the kind of ride you’d wanna hop on again.

Listen to The Song by jorud on Bandcamp and Spotify. Follow jorud on socials to stay updated.