Molly Warburton is at her focussed, confident best on her reflective new EP Eyes Wide Shut
Molly Warburton has long been a UK artist celebrated for the candid and authentic feel of her resonating alternative pop sound, armed with a back catalogue full of tracks to relate to and find poignant truths and immersive melodies in, but her new EP Eyes Wide Open is the artist’s boldest and most vulnerable work to date, exploring a range of intimate themes through an excellent collection of tracks.
The EP has a real sense of clarity to it throughout, almost like a coming-of-age moment for Molly, and the opener ‘Am I The One For You?’ is a track that embodies this in reflective and stirring fashion. A laid-back and melodic soundscape sees the artist taking a really honest and candid look at a romantic situation that she has found herself in and trying to have a frank and open discussion on whether things are really working out, it makes for a compelling listen and one that feels truly resonating and real.
This tension and these mixed feelings are explored further on ‘Hopelessly Addicted’, a track that frames the artist as being the one who cares more in a relationship and struggling with the lack of emotion and enthusiasm that she gets in return. There is a really stylish, synthy appeal to the sound that feels vibrant and fun throughout, adding a nostalgic, intoxicating sheen to a track that is rooted in uncertainty.
Growth and reflection are central themes on ‘Better Me’, a track that centres around the push and pull between dreams and reality, and between the places and people we grew up with and the people that we have grown to be. These juxtapositions and the ways that we try to find our place in the world are really poignantly articulated through the track, and its uplifting and romantic conclusion makes feels like one of the EP’s highlights.
Molly’s dancey latest single ‘Dancing With Devils’ follows, insatiably catchy and packed full of fun rhythms and a thoughtful narrative that sees the artist continuing to reflect on relationships and similar situations, this time coming to the slow-burning realisation that the person you’ve been seeing isn’t all they seem. It is another track that really adds to the overall tone and feel of the EP through its themes and Molly’s excellent blend of melodic sounds and more hard-hitting, potent lyrical content.
The EP closes out with maybe its most defiant statement, following four tracks that were often packed full of uncertainty, doubt, and the growth that comes with it, ‘Shout Louder’ is a track that sees the artist pushing back in a really emphatic and rousing way. The sound has a subdued feel to it before bursting to life during its impactful choruses, with the artist imploring anybody who has felt like their power has been stripped from them to take a stand and keep pushing forward and fighting their corner, making for a really satisfying conclusion to an EP that has been a rollercoaster of emotions, conflicts and sincere moments of reflection, leading to the most focussed and powerful version of Molly Warburton both as an artist and a writer.
