There’s something quietly powerful about that exact second when a chapter ends and you realise the next one is completely yours. Joe Bray bottles that feeling on “Options,” a cutesy alt-pop track that leans into UK Garage rhythms without ever losing its soft, intimate glow.
Built in his bedroom around 2-step drums and gentle synths, the song sits right at the crossover of pop and UK Garage. It never overreaches. Subtle builds appear and then pull back, leaving you with that simple electronic bounce that feels both nostalgic and freshly free. The production is clean but never sterile—exactly what you’d expect from something made late at night when the rest of the world is asleep.
Joe himself calls it the moment after a breakup or any major life shift when the future suddenly belongs only to you. No big dramatic statements, just the quiet realisation that the cord has been cut and the space ahead is open. That honesty lands harder because the track never tries to force the emotion. It lives inside the freedom instead of explaining it.
This is the fifth song from the mixtape he’s currently working on, and it already carries the same thoughtful DNA as his earlier work. His debut album Play Pretend dug into youth, nostalgia, and the roles we slip into when we want to escape ourselves. “Options” feels like a natural next step—still framed by soft electronics and careful songwriting, still interested in the edges of feeling, but lighter on its feet. The fact that it has already been pre-played on BBC Introducing says the right people are hearing the same spark.
Independent artists who write, produce, and record everything themselves often end up with the most personal records, and Joe Bray is a clear example. There’s no committee smoothing the edges. Just one person in a bedroom figuring out how to turn a private realisation into something that moves. The result sits comfortably in today’s alt-pop conversation while still nodding to the swing and space of UK Garage.
If you’ve been looking for a track that feels like taking a deep breath after everything finally settles, this is it. “Options” doesn’t shout about independence. It simply sounds like it.
What do you make of the way he balances those soft synths with the 2-step bounce? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to know if this one hit you the same way.
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