The Weeknd is the arguable king of R&B right now, but there's always been that one caveat with his sonic regality, and that caveat is his utter vulgarity. Sure, it can be chalked up as an uninhibited stream-of-consciousness songwriting tactic, but there's no denying the cringe-factor that's often induced when his beautiful croon beckons on each and every track of his. It's one that keeps you from playing his stuff in certain places, and we can't blame you. The thing is, we've never really had a "clean" counterpart to remedy the awkwardness—until now. Enter J.O.Y. (not to be confused with Australian indie-pop act, JOY.). The German-based R&B star-in-the-making has a sound so similar to The Weeknd's own, that you'd think them the same if not totally in tune to the tracks of theirs being played. There's no complaint on our end about the similarity, either; J.O.Y. (Judgement of Yesterday) is a master at his craft, however young he may be (his age isn't revealed anywhere online), and he's an unbelievably mature sound no matter the amount of time leading up to it. We're sure it'll take him to heights he's not yet imagined, artistically speaking, but time will tell, as it always seems to do. We've our five favorite tracks from Sober Thoughts listed below, but if you want to check out the rest of what the nine-track work has to offer, do so through SoundCloud or Bandcamp.
J.O.Y. & Lamont