DEBUTANTE EP
Track Listing:
1. Plush
2. Explosure
3. Cheerleader
4. Can You Help Me Out
5. Stiffy
6. Debutante
PLUSH
This song has been the longest in the making. I almost recorded it during my ‘Little Heaven’ EP that came out in summer 2023 but I decided against it as I felt it wasn’t a fit stylistically and could use more time to make it something bigger and better.
I have always felt really precious about this song and excited for the world to hear it, picturing it as a larger than life but effortlessly cool single and addition to the catalogue. The Killers, New Order and U2 immediately come to mind as references on this track as it has a bit of a British sonic quality to it. I wanted to make sure we found the perfect studio situation to get the guitar tones and drum sounds just right and as big and as roomy as possible.
The narrative in this song has a familiar “I love you, love me back” sentiment, but with a more conflicted, mature tone and coming from a girl that doesn't get bested by love very often or feels that it's not the right look for her. It captures an eye roll at love opposed to a hopeless romantic. The voice feels cool and collected, relaying the complexity of wanting someone while the production does the bigger talking, managing to be explosive and paced at the same time.
I wrote the titular line in the song that says ‘tried to be soft, but I’m not plush’ with intentional friction towards the female stereotype of needing to be soft in order to be deemed feminine or attractive. I feel my frustrations with this particular concept run deep, especially throughout my career while being misunderstood on a general musical standpoint; getting pushed towards pop music from the industry or slighted as a guitarist based on my sex, hair color or brand/femininity.
STIFFY
Stiffy is a straight ahead rock song with a more angsty and almost “punk” agenda throughout. I loved getting back to a more minimal band production. The chorus feels jam packed with raw instrumentation like fast paced chugging power chords and thrashy cymbals versus some of the more synth layered textures on my previous releases.
When writing the song I was recalling feelings of misjudgement, or when I’ve had to play the villain in another person’s story, despite feeling like they misunderstand me and where I come from. I feel like bridges have burned with no way back but it’s a waste of time thinking about trying to mend old wounds now. This track beats that narrative to the punch and plays with playing the devil’s advocate, something that I feel women grow up and get pretty used to.
The production feels weighty and building, with melodies that carry three part harmonies up to a cold abrupt stop, reminding me of a heavier sounding Sam Fender for reference. Even in its stripped back form with just vocals and acoustic, I really love the way that this songs sits and the lyrics translate, making it actually a very emotionally charged song, despite it's prickly cover.
The title of this track was inspired by a line in the second verse of the song implying 'you got a stiff upper lip', creating a few meanings and layers. ‘Stiffy’ feels like it grabs your attention just off hearing the word, and then holds it with the song itself, again veering outside of that “soft girl” expectation that follows me everywhere I go while the sexual connotation associated with the word also antagonizing men for obvious reasons.
CHEERLEADER
Cheerleader is rock anthem that makes a testament to the classic predominantly male fantasy about Cheerleaders and what they stand for while flipping the narrative. I got the inspiration from being a musician and comparing the two roles, feeling an erie similarity to them both. Shouting up and down, entertaining, trying to hold attention and distract everyone from the real world during my shows and often feeling like it's so that my male counterparts can play ball. The wierdness with the public admiration mixed with accepting a superficial value and poking fun at it all through this track.
The song sits in the same category as an American Pie soundtrack or late 90s early 2000s pop/rock song from bands like Jimmy Eat World, American Hi-Fi or Fountains of Wayne. That music has always spoken to me as it’s simple, hooky, feel good and guitar driven, which this song really encapsulates.