A rim‑shot cracks the silence, then a bass line sidles in cheeky, elastic, impossible to ignore. “Hold You Close” wastes no time flicking on the porch light of Jonny Akamu’s indie‑funk bungalow, and suddenly the night feels shorter and friendlier. Over the lean groove, Akamu sings with the off‑hand warmth of someone humming a secret while cooking for two; each syllable lands soft, yet the phrasing reveals a craftsman who’s sanded every edge.
Where earlier singles toyed with neo‑soul haze, this track sharpens the colors. Drums stay pocket‑tight, thwacking just behind the beat like a conspiratorial wink, while guitar stabs paint splashes of Nile‑Rodgers brightness across the chorus. When the tempo kicks up halfway through, the arrangement blooms rather than explodes hand‑clap accents, rim‑tapping percussion, and a falsetto refrain that lifts without grandstanding. It’s the sound of a roomful of friends locking in on the same inside joke.
Akamu’s lyrics read like marginalia in a dog‑eared notebook simple lines about keeping storms outside and laughter inside yet his delivery sells the subtext: comfort only feels casual after you’ve survived chaos. Near the two‑minute mark, a guitar solo curls out of the mix, equal parts caramel and caffeine, then hands the reins back to the vocal for one last spin around the block. Nothing overstays; everything glows.
