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To describe the creativity and mindset of Willie J Healey isn’t something to take lightly. Simply put, Willie creates art that seems to transcend sound and leap right from the audio files. Mixing 70s lo-fi sounds while still maintaining that new age feel. Willie J Healey makes himself right at home in a space where he’s allowed to bend the world to his will. Learning to not take life so seriously, Willie helps listeners feel at ease in a world fueled by fear and chaos. Willie is musically gifted drawing comparisons to Bowie, Tame Impala, and The Velvet Underground. After taking time off, Willie is ready to show the world all he has to offer.
The Bristol-based artist burst onto the music scene with his infectious soft rock 2017 debut album, People and Their Dogs. Inspired by the people walking their dogs nearby his bedroom window, Willie took people watching to another level. From such a mundane everyday life task, inspiration struck Willie like a lightning flash. The album plays like a love letter to the quiet and simple life as seen through the eyes of Willie J Healey.
As an artist who radiates bliss in his art, Willie refuses to confine himself to just one genre. Drawing inspirtation from various musical backgrounds is a strong suit of Willie. Spending the better part of his career performing at small local pubs around Oxford seemed to sharpen Willie J Healey for the big time. His path wasn’t an easy one after being dropped from Columbia Records during the height of 2017. Falling on the support of his “cult,” Willie returned in 2020 with his second studio album, Twin Heavy.
A departure from his previous work, Willie tries for a more slow and soft rock feel while maintaining what makes him great. Britain is home to some of the most influential pop-rock/classic rock bands and Willie uses that as a base for this project. One of the biggest spots on the album is the Elton John/ The Beatles-like track, “Fashun.” As the opening track, the song sets the overall tone of the project. It is a Saturday noon drive tracks sure to keep you light on your feet well into the day.
The album is rounded out with a few more intoxicating tracks like the mellow soft “Condo,” soulful “Twin Heavy,” and topical guitar laced “True Stereo.” Willie J Healey is very unpredictable in the musical sense. From aliens to cult-like themes, he’s all over the place. Still, it is very early in his career. Despite suffering what many may assume is a major setback in the case of Columbia Records, Willie shows he’s better off in the long run.
