The exciting young alternative pop artist is at her defiant and purposeful best on her new six track EP
With a title that feels like an emphatic clap back at people who chastise certain kinds of women for being too ambitious or out there or having too much of a personality, new Piper Connolly EP she’s too much! is a collection of tracks that showcase the 15 year old’s brash, alternative-tinged pop sound and her resonating appeal.
‘beautiful life’ instantly kicks the collection of tracks off with an infectious bass riff that bleeds into a stunningly catchy chorus that has a soaring feel to it, offering a sharp contrast to the more restrained verses. The track offers these fun rushes of adrenaline that spring to life on you in an instant, setting the tone for the EP in upbeat and fun style.
Another fun bass riff kicks off ‘Body Bag’, but the track on the whole has a bit of a darker and more brooding edge to it on the whole, with the artist delving into fiercer and more intense territory while still maintaining this stadium-sized appeal when the track reaches its more anthemic and hard-hitting moments. The meaning behind the title of the EP immediately becomes apparent across these two tracks, with the artist not looking to shrink or minimise herself for anybody.
‘unapologetic’ is a track that has a bit more of a reflective and soft feel to it throughout, evoking the same kind of feeling of the kind of early 2000s Avril Lavigne singles that showcased her more thoughtful side as an artist. Despite its more stripped-back aesthetic, there is still a real sense of defiance and strength from the artist throughout the track, and the way that she stands her ground in throughout narrative makes for some really compelling and resonating moments.
The yin and yang of Piper’s sound is most readily apparent on the centerpiece of the EP, ‘bubblegum with razorblades’, a track that has a lush pop aesthetic with a darker and heavier side lurking beneath the sound and the lyrics throughout. The track does a really great job of encapsulating the multi-faceted and adventurous appeal of Piper and her sound, and is packed full of depth and heart throughout.
The EP is rounded out with ‘better than this’ and its closer ‘joyride’, two tracks that continue to flesh out this world that the artist has created, the artist still putting two middle fingers up to the world and the people who try to doubt and silence her but still with this vulnerability inside as she grows and develops both as a person and an artist. ‘better than this’ is a track that has a real vulnerability to it, listing her flaws and not feeling good enough for the person that she is with while hoping that her openness will help convince them to stay, while ‘joyride’ has a more uninhibited feel to it that sees her embracing a situtationship that seemingly has no breaks and sees them recklessly exploring it and wherever it goes.
All of these tracks come together to create a truly memorable listening expeirence, painting a nuanced and multi-faceted picture of a young artist still making sense of her place in the world in a rapidly-shifting landscape. It makes for a really interesting listening experience that is full of tracks that are far better than anybody that age has any business writing, making for a release with a unique perspective and a plethora of fun moments.
