Austin-based rock outfit JJ and The Mystics, led by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist JJ Raschel, releases Mystic Roots as their forthcoming album, with "Veritas" serving as the lead single. The track hits with a lot more force than I expected. The guitars are thick and post-grunge heavy, the drums push everything forward with a locked, driving rhythm, and behind all of that density there are atmospheric synth pads that open up the space and give the track a scale that feels bigger than its bedroom studio origins.
The vocals are the centerpiece, climbing into a high, clean register on the chorus and holding it there with a dramatic, passionate intensity that pulled me in and kept me there. I kept replaying that moment.
Then there's the soul of it. Spiritual awakening, personal struggle, unity. It's all in there, and it lands with real conviction. The kind you feel in your chest before you consciously register it.
this is a remembrance of who we really are through a tapestry of legendary influences
That's exactly what "Veritas" feels like. Rock with serious weight behind it. I loved this one.
