Cloudy Busey: “Who Says They Love You”

Over the past few months, Osaka’s Cloudy Busey has been busy carving out a sonic identity.  The solo project of Bob Willey, who also fronts the outfit Ice Cream Shout, initially sounded like an extension of his primary band, to the point where the spacey indie-pop of last year’s “Broken By Inertia” started creeping into Ice Cream Shout’s live shows.  This year, though, Willey has made his Cloudy Busey project distinctive from Ice Cream Shout by embracing dance music.  “Who Says They Love You” is the culmination of this shift, a song still carrying traces of twee – see the lyrics – but with a sound that’s built for the club.  Willey describes the track as “acid, Latin break, Stardust,” and those influences certainly show over these bouncy four minutes, but he places these sounds within the constraints of pop, making sure no section ever trails off and that the catchy chorus is never far away.  Regardless of what sounds he’s dealing with, “Who Says They Love You” is further proof that Willey is distinguishing himself as one of the best songwriters in Japan today.

Watch for more Cloudy Busey on Soundcloud

Written by Patrick St. Michel