J. Bernardt is the nom de plume of Jinte Deprez, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose career has been largely focused on Belgian pop institution Balthazar, that is, until now. On this his road to self-discovery, Deprez began to play with the sort of genres he’s always had a passion for, but rarely got to express in Balthazar, “I still love the old-school ‘60s sound we created in the band - but for this project I began to think about what I’d play at a house party”. It’s perhaps for this reason, that Running Days brims with elements of R&B, soul and hip-hop; echoing the emotional clarity of ‘90s-era D'angelo and the vocal resonance of How to Dress Well, over beats inspired of Child of Lov and the melodic simplicity of Gorillaz. Whether in the sunny vocal hooks of The Direction, the jazzy, mellifluous horns of Wicked Streets and Motel, or the lush serpentine rhythms of Calm Down, which surges with synths and skittering breaks. For a record so steeped in themes of love and loss, J Bernart's Running Days remains incredibly warm, while avoiding dramatic clich?, perfectly melding his love of potent melodies, heartfelt lyricism and lush vocals. It marks the start of a spectacular era in Deprez's work - one of beguiling rhythms and personal revelation - which leaves the record posing an open-ended question: not about what he is running away from, but what glittering new chapter he is running towards
