AUDREY NUNA's "Jokes On Me" Is an Entrancing Exploration of Loss
Photo: Leeay
AUDREY NUNA’s latest piece of ear candy, “Jokes On Me,” is a cheeky but complex track, keeping a foot in both sides of a loss—the “I’m better off without you,” and the “I miss you.”
Listeners are met with NUNA’s sprite-like vocal delivery, airy and ethereal but with a flagrant edge. Even without knowing the words, you can sense the side-eye in her controlled tone, verging into a higher range but never exploding into a belt. Though NUNA could flaunt her vocal prowess on this soaring melody, she keeps it reigned in, piercing through the arrangement with determination.
This fiery vocal perfectly juxtaposes the indigo track swirling underneath, where the well-hidden heartache pulses quietly. “Jokes On Me” builds up and around a moody guitar strumming over crisp, concise drums. The song starts with this meticulous soundscape but slowly pours currents of lush instruments into the mixture. A poignant, warm piano roams in the background, while background vocals shimmer in emotional layers.
By the end of “Jokes on Me,” listeners have entered a prismatic space with an emotional depth not unlike a film score. There’s even a slight Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle) pattern in the piano. Through this rich arrangement, NUNA lets listeners witness a vulnerable moment while barely acknowledging it lyrically. “I see your body but don’t recognize you anymore,” she utters softly.
Always with her finger on the pulse of an inescapably catchy hook, NUNA never fails to entrance listeners sonically. “Jokes On Me” takes this charm a step further, working magic with musical depth, saying one thing with her teasing vocals and another with her moving instrumental.
Watch the "Jokes On Me" video below:
