Manic Focus’ ‘Just Like You’ serves up another soulful appetizer to fourth studio album

Manic Focus (aka John McCarten, or JMaC) has been giving fans scintillating tastes of his upcoming LP, Lost in a Digital World, only increasing the anticipation surrounding it. The Chicago-based producer first began rolling out the album with “Never Give up,” followed by a left-field house single in “All This Is,” and then a fitting collaboration with Big Gigantic’s Dominic Lalli and Break Science’s Borahm Lee on “Lyrebird.” Now JMaC continues to tease the full-length effort by releasing the album’s fourth single, “Just Like You.”

The track is fused to perfection, combining Manic Focus’ eccentric take on hip-hop mixed with his soulful brand of electro-funk. While the track itself sits well within JMaC’s signature sonic wheelhouse, it also dons new elements never before heard from the veteran. The song’s hip-hop vocal samples are strategically placed over a variety of stringed instruments, striking snares, rhythmic funk-fueled synths, and a contagiously upbeat bass line.

By adding new flavors to his already-distinctive sonic oeuvre, what Manic Focus is showing his fans on “Just Like You” is that he’s not afraid to play with experimental sounds. As he takes listeners on an all around rollercoaster ride of sound, one thing is for certain: “Just Like You” is only a tasty hors d’oeuvre. The main course, set to land in September, is sure to serve up a whole other helping of newly-focused Manic Focus sounds.