A personal classic with a world of meaning to get lost in.

Jay Som’s first studio album in six years, Belong, is the album you put on in the background while you study, just to find yourself zoning out of your work and falling into the world Jay Som has created. For the first time ever in a Jay Som album, we have a few guest vocalists featuring, Lexi Vega, Jim Adkins and Hayley Williams. The album starts off with a familiar feeling, with a new sound using synths. It then descends into music that will challenge your listening pallet. If you like a strong beat and a chorus you can sing along to, this is the album for you.

The first three songs (“Cards On The Table,” Float” and “What You Need”) are the ones you’ll be adding to your “SUMMER 2026 <3” playlist. “Cards On the Table” has a fun beat with calm vocals. “Float (feat. Jim Adkins)” has a prominent snare drum that was made to head bang along to, with a chorus you’ll be screaming in the car. “What You Need” has both of the ideas from the past two songs mashed together into the catchiest of the three. Listen with caution, this one will get stuck in your head.

The fifth song “Drop A,” is a message of someone trying to make it big, but is growing apart from their partner in the process – but they don’t want to do it without them. What is the point of being famous if you’re lonely? So, they are holding their tongue because they don’t want to be something without anyone. They are waiting to show the world their skill until they have someone to do it with. However, during the last 35 seconds there are reversed vocals that when played backwards repeat the line “I’m holding my tongue.”  This possibly represents that while they wanted to hold their tongue, they are now doing the opposite of that and are now heading in the wrong direction. There could be other interpretations, though, and “Drop A” offers lots of room for more thought. There is plenty to be discovered in not just this song, but the album as a whole. Listen and find your own meaning. 

The final song, “Want It All,” is the internal monologue of someone debating if they want to chase fame. They want it all, but fear what it might make them. The distorted bass contributes to the dark theme. You can feel the person’s struggle through the music. Around the three minute mark, the vocals are ditched for a guitar that speaks better than words. It fades out to the sound of people talking and children laughing. Faintly, a motif from the beginning of “Cards On The Table” can be heard, bringing the album around full circle and encouraging the listener to listen once more. 

The album has a personal story written from the heart. With radio-ready songs anyone can enjoy, and ones that will be greatly underappreciated by the masses, this album is a masterpiece waiting to be discovered.