Chaos and the Calm | James Bay

The disarmingly handsome British heartthrob, James Bay, released his debut album Chaos and the Calm on March 23. To no surprise at all, the entire album is an emotionally raw telling of his life - of his passionate relationships and day-to-day struggles. This album’s got heart.

It starts off with the an upbeat, feel-good track, “Crave”, about a lost young bloke looking for “something he can feel” – an introspective dilemma all of our teenage selves faced at one point or another...amiright?

We’re suckers for the intimacy he creates with his music, and with the effortless simplicity through which he does so. His tracks are powerful, poignant and they sounds pretty awesome too. Seeing him at SXSW last week really drove this home for us. Seldom does he have more than a four piece backing him, generally it’s just him, his guitar and his “jerry”.

His more confessional tracks include (but are not limited to) “Hold Back the River”, “Let it Go”, "Move Together" and “When We Were in Love”. They describe tormented love – whether it is by distance, heartbreak or differences – hope and fear for the future and a look into basically every single one of his life experiences to date. Needless to say this pretty boy version of Jack White really knows how to jerk a tear.

Don’t get us wrong though. His genuine intent and entrusting poetry reaches outside of the ballads as well. He dials it up a notch in tracks like “Best Fake Smile”, really honing in on his classic rock upbringing.

One way or another Bay is going to tackle the world, one love-struck female at a time.