San Joseph has just strutted onto the scene with his debut single “Blink Twice”, rapidly ascending and captivating eyes all around. How he’s already found himself with more than a quarter-million streams and multiple Spotify editorial placements is no surprise. “Blink Twice”, co-written by Dylan Nash, is a track that commands your attention and San Joseph is a performer capable of effortlessly slipping into roles worthy of envy. However, beneath the layers of charisma and charm that make up the surface of “Blink Twice”, feelings of relatability and obvious showmanship persist. It’s like a mask, one that fits well and makes sense, but is nevertheless still a mask. That’s almost exactly what the track is about; encountering a fleeting version of yourself that you wish could last forever. In capturing this feeling so authentically San Joseph has proven that his music is substantial both on the surface and to its core.
The music video for “Blink Twice” embodies the track’s hollywood-esque coolness and irony to a T. San Joseph walks through a dark alley and, quite cinematically, finds an underground poker game, filled with archetypal figures of machismo and badass-ness. As for the video’s narrative, Joseph just can’t stop winning, he’s smiling, confident, and cleans house (at one point freezing time and dancing in the character’s angered faces). He’s subsequently thrown out but remains joyful and in the moment; just like a carefree and confident Hollywood character ought to. The cinematic nature of the entire video underscores the notion of performance that exists in “Blink Twice”. Putting on a front like you don’t care can be an easy means to an end, but perhaps causes more harm than good in the long run. By creating such a real and dynamic self criticism, pointing out insecurities that lay dormant beneath a confident vail, San Joseph deserves the utmost praise. Beneath the surface of this cheeky pop anthem lies the bitter reality that sometimes the most damaged people wear the most convincing masks.
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