PopCrush Presents: Jarryd James

Every week at PopCrush, we’re putting the spotlight on one up-and-coming act you need to know about. Why? So you can get on board early before everyone else and their mother jumps on the bandwagon…and so you can be that one friend in the group who’s always like, “Um, actually, I prefer their earlier work.”

Not long ago—like many hopeful musicians—30-year-old Jarryd James considered throwing in the towel. According to ABC Australia, he'd exhausted his bank account touring around his native Australia alone, and had resigned himself to the idea that headline billing at the Sydney Opera House was likely out of reach. Instead, he resolved to get a desk job and push paper for a steadier income.

But then, a popular folk duo offered him a spot on their summer tour. And then, Ed Sheeran publicly stated that James' "Do You Remember" is one of 10 songs that has most powerfully influenced his own music. And then, the single found its way to No. 1 on Australia's indie chart, earning a double-platinum distinction in the process.

Now, the Interscope-signed James seems poised to command a market that previously seemed intent on ignoring him. His first album, Thirty One, debuted at No. 2 in Australia upon its September 11 release, and his sound has begun to register stateside.

The artist's latest track, "Give Me Something," speaks clearly to his sound—it's sad, sad soul spelled out by an R&B artist whose voice is comfortably mixed up in slowed-down electropop (there's a hint of The Black Keys in there, too). A collaboration with frequent Lorde-producer Joel Little, the song will make you think, inspire you to withdraw a little bit and, most importantly, force you to keep listening.

"Give me something from your heart / Can I get a little bit of your attention / Can I get a little bit of your affection / All I need is in your arms," James pleads over a thumping beat, baseball-game organ chords and quickly shifting tempos.

Listen to James' first few offerings above, tell us what you think and be sure to download his EP on iTunes!

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