After leaving Astro, Rocky embarked on a solo career with last year’s ROCKYST and title track Lucky Rocky. I enjoyed the direction he pursued, but thought the execution could use some work. When it comes to today’s Jealousy, I’m drawn even more to Rocky’s musical direction. This style of funky synthwave-influenced pop music is very much my happy place.

The shadow of greats like Michael Jackson and The Weeknd looms large over Jealousy. There’s a sense of consistent drama laced within the song’s driving beat. I’m happy to hear the production give attention to its middle range, prominently featuring a snare-like pulse of percussion. So often, these tracks become overly simplistic, bass-driven productions. There’s real kick to Jealousy‘s instrumental, which hearkens back to its Jacksonian influences.

The melodies are catchy and effective, though I’m distracted by some of the overly generic English lyrics. The song’s delivery is a bit rougher than I would prefer, making me wonder if the arrangement could have played with more layering and vocal stacking. Portions of the song feel a bit unpolished, and that’s keeping Jealousy from reaching its full potential. Even so, this is a great direction for Rocky and I’d love to see him develop it further.

Grade: B+