Words by Marcha M. Johnson—
Still riding high on the success of last year’s “Savage,” and one of this year’s strongest road march contenders, “Truck On D Road,” Jus Now and global soca artist/ambassador Bunji Garlin have released another soundtrack for the carnival season.
Marked with Jus Now‘s now-signature, complex percussion patterns and sporadically accented with raw melodious acoustics, “Soca Run Town” is an exhilarating tune that delivers near-euphoric vibes. The multinational production duo—consisting of LAZABEAM from Trinidad, and the U.K.-based Interface— take a neo-ethnic approach to soca music, appealing to nostalgic tastes while bringing the genre into the future with influences from Europe/EDM. (For another fresh example of the Jus Now sound, check “Way Yuh Wine,” their new tune with Beenie Mann and Trinidad’s Vanna Vee).
Coupled with Garlin’s minimalist lyricism, they’ve conjured up the perfect formula for explicating the carnival jumbie out of anyone. Believe me, when you hear “Soca Run Town,” you see Carnival.