On October 23, an extended play (EP) was released that will take the world by storm, ‘Faces on Film’. Jacob Whitesides, a seventeen year old singer from Tennessee, has released his much awaited EP ‘Faces on Film’ which includes seven songs, including one remix of a song off his last EP, ‘A Piece of Me’. Within an hour of the release, the EP reached number one on the Singer/Songwriter charts in America, passing singers such as Ed Sheeran on his way to the top. The EP ranges from slow folk to upbeat pop music that you can’t get enough of.
His music career was never ‘handed to him’ like many artists today. Whitesides started from posting covers on YouTube and now he’s touring Europe, America and parts of Canada. His work over the past four years has been non-stop, trying to get his name and music out to the world. This EP shows exactly how his hard work paid off. Each song has amazing guitar riffs that have a little country-swang to it, showing how he’s staying to true to where he comes from. As soon as the first track ‘Secrets’ plays, you can hear the passion and truth behind all of his words. In recent articles Whitesides has even admitted that many of his songs are very personal to his relationship with his girlfriend; therefore, he needed her approval before he took it to the studios to record.
From piano, guitar and even banjo, this EP has a beautiful range of instruments that are all pulling together to create true art. Songs such as “Faces on Film” have an indie feeling to them that calms your mood down, not to mention his amazing vocal ranges throughout all the songs. A lot of articles on Whitesides compare him to other pop artists such as Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber. Which personally, I don’t agree with; he is an artist that can’t be compared to others. It’s like comparing The Beatles to One Direction, although both great boybands, they have completely different sounds and artistic credibility. Whitesides is nothing like the typical ‘teen heartthrob’ on the iTunes top charts; he has a more unique sound, one that pop music doesn’t have today. Pop charts seem to be rather repetitive, with the same party-like songs with no deeper meanings, but Whitesides accomplishes more with his lyrics. He writes his own music unlike a lot of artists today. He is signed to an indie record label which allows him more freedom to write music.
One song called “Broke Billionaire” shows exactly what Whitesides strives for, family and music. The premise of the song is his belief that you can’t buy family or love and that the money he makes creating music doesn’t mean anything; it’s all about the creation itself. “You can only live in one house at a time. Would I care how big a diamond is if suddenly I’m blind? Cause’ I can’t buy a heartbeat with pockets full of gold.”
This EP is a tease as to what his full album will withhold, although there is no news as to when a full length album will be coming, it is expected. The mix of genres in all his songs really makes it a great listen with varieties of sounds. Looking up Whitesides on iTunes will only benefit you, find the EP here.