Juliet Ayres hits the nail on the head with her new single “Pleasure First,” a delightful mix of 70s folky acoustic pop sounds and modern lyrical oversharing. The song begins with a mellow groove, driven by the drums and piano, laying a relaxed but dynamic mood. Her expressive and sweet vocals lie right in the middle, drawing the listener to a heartfelt story that probably will be easier for many of us to relate to.
“Pleasure First” is a song that hits deep, especially for people in this chaotic life stage known as young adulthood. Juliet writes lyrics with brutal honesty, showing all those mistakes and lessons learned during this formative period of her life. The song’s story is about the allure of immediate gratification and how it usually undermines more meaningful and longer-lasting experiences or relationships.
Drawing from iconic greats such as Carole King, Karen Carpenter, and Bread, Juliet crafted a track that feels nostalgic yet refreshing for contemporary. She would use vocal effects in parts of the song to give the storytelling more intensity and draw the listeners deep into the landscape being created. The raw, folky acoustic pop sound wrapped around the candor of the lyrics speaks squarely to the struggle of today’s youth.
A talented singer, songwriter, and piano player, Juliet Ayres is making a lot of buzz. Her influences include a huge mixture of artists from old legends to modern influences like Carole King, Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Beatty, Holly Humberstone, and The Carpenters, who contribute to her diverse musical style.
“Pleasure First” was recorded with Juliet on piano and singing; the rest of the sounds and live instruments were built from there. For that reason, the track has a very warm and live feel about it. It was quite a cathartic experience for Juliet when she wrote the song. It came out of a time when a relationship was falling apart. In hindsight, she realised that she had just been focusing on fleeting pleasures and not what was important—something that many people will empathise with.
In Juliet’s own words, “This song is for the people who keep (for lack of a better phrase) f*cking up their life because of their bad habits. It’s okay to have fun and enjoy vices but in moderation. Knowledge is power, and when you realize what has a hold on you, it can be freeing because that means you can change it.”
“Pleasure First” is a break to reflect upon one’s decisions and how they impact the road taken toward personal growth. Juliet Ayres has provided us with that very song, which is introspective but uplifting, reassuring in its sentiment: it is perfectly all right to make mistakes in this life.
You can find more of Juliet Ayre at:
You can listen to ‘Pleasure First’ below:
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.