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JC Stewart releases debut EP When The Light Hits The Room

Abhigyaan Bararia

JC Stewart, the singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland, released his debut EP When The Light Hits The Room on Nov. 6. The tracklist includes four songs, highlighted by Stewart’s latest single “Rest Of My Life.” The entire setlist can be viewed below.

Working alongside BRIT award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Odell, the duo wrote songs linked thematically with each other and paired emotional stories about the growing pains of young adulthood with songs that balance instantly-addictive pop hooks with deep self-reflection. 

Stewart said that he wrote the EP about growing up and finding an end goal in life that would make everything else make sense. 

“I realized that the finishing point might not even exist, but came to accept that it’s ok,” Stewart said. “I wrote a lot of this EP in the back room of my parents’ house over lockdown and then was lucky enough to work with one of my heroes, Tom Odell, to bring it all together.”

“Rest Of My Life,” the EP’s lead song, captures the concept behind the setlist perfectly. Driven by Stewart’s heartfelt lyric, “I just want to find someone that I can spend the rest of my life with,” the song’s vulnerable subject matter is magnified by its production. Stewart’s voice is enriched with subtle creative twists to elevate his harmonies and backing vocals while pulsating percussion provides a modern pop feel that enlivens his lovelorn lyrics.

The rest of the three tracks complement the lead song beautifully, providing a backbone to the EP and shedding light on Odell and Stewart’s strong partnership. “Valium” takes you on a journey through a fractured relationship, building into a climactic crescendo before the piano of “Friday Night” craves the breathing space that the weekend brings. It ends, however, on a high, with “Hard To Believe” nudging the listeners into thinking that the hopes Stewart expressed in “Rest Of My Life” are coming true. 

The EP had been a long time coming for Stewart and he released it with a special acoustic live-streamed show, broadcasted from his hometown of Magherafelt in Northern Ireland. 

“I’ve dreamed about this day since I started writing songs 8 years ago and I’m properly proud of this thing,” Stewart said in an Instagram post in the days leading up to the release of the EP. “Songs born out of lockdown and finished a few weeks ago, I’m so excited to let you hear it in a few days.”

JC Stewart’s When The Light Hits The Room is available to stream on platforms. You can access it by clicking here. 

Listen to “Rest Of My Life” here.

When The Light Hits The Room setlist:

  1. Rest Of My Life 
  2. Valium 
  3. Friday Night
  4. Hard To Believe 

 

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Abhigyaan Bararia
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Abhigyaan Bararia

Abhi Bararia is a contributing writer at Beyond The Stage Magazine. His taste in music spans far and wide, with some of his favorite artists including Glass Animals, Mac Miller, The Eagles, Cape Francis and Kendrick Lamar. If not writing and researching about the latest music, Abhi can be found on the hunt for the next sneaker to add to his ever-growing collection or finding new recipes to fuel his passion for cooking.