I was kind of aimlessly scrolling the other night and came across Always Wanting The Other Side by Lazel James. Didn’t know what to expect, but I hit play and didn’t stop listening. The first song doesn’t try to grab you with anything dramatic. It just settles in, and next thing you know, you’re fully in it. There’s this quiet honesty throughout the whole album. It’s not trying to be anything it’s not, which is exactly what makes it work.
It feels like someone is thinking out loud with a guitar nearby. Nothing feels overly clean or pushed around in post-production. It sounds like a guy who knows how to shape a feeling into a track without dressing it up too much. You can hear that it’s mostly self-recorded, and instead of that being a weakness, it’s kind of the strength of the whole thing. You feel closer to it because it’s clearly his. What stood out is how natural the songs move. There’s reflection in them, but they don’t sit too long in the heavy stuff. Even when he’s clearly working through something, he does it in a way that keeps you grounded. The little touches from people like Andy Ramsey and Ula Wodarz are there, but they don’t pull the focus. They add to the atmosphere without taking away from Lazel’s voice and vision.
There’s this calm confidence in how he delivers the album. He’s not rushing to prove anything. It feels like he’s letting you sit in a room with him while he works something out, and he’s okay with the silence in between. That’s rare.
If you’re into music that feels real, without the usual polish or pretense, you should give this a listen. And honestly, follow Lazel James on Instagram and Spotify. He’s clearly on to something and I don’t think this is the last we’ll hear from him.
