SCARLET explores themes like love, loss and delusion with her expansive, atmospheric sound on her new EP Glorified Daydreams
Renowned for the innovative and dynamic nature of her distinctive sound and style, independent artist, producer, and visual creator SCARLET is somebody who has crafted an alternative pop sound that is packed full of ambitious, creative appeal and nuance, and her brand new EP Glorified Daydreams is just the latest showcase of her immersive charm.
The energetic and dynamic ‘We Rnt Friends’ kicks the EP off in lively fashion, with the artist melding skittish beats with a soaring catchiness as she laments not being able to take the next step with somebody and being able to push through to being more than friends and something more serious. There is an emotional resonance here that pairs with the upbeat nature of the sound, making for a multi-faceted and memorable release that many listeners will find relatable and cathartic.
The moodier and more atmospheric ‘Cold Summer’ follows, and is a track that is full of rousing synths and these subdued, intimate moments that paint this atmospheric picture of distance and longing that feels instantly captivating and powerful, in spite of the softness of the sound.
These themes of longing grow into obsession and something altogether more intense on ‘DYGA’, a track that utilises a more dynamic and cutting edge alternative pop soundscape that pairs effortlessly with an off-kilter and intense vocal performance from SCARLET that creates a really unique feel and intensity. The track is a truly immersive highlight on an EP that is packed full of them, and really pulls you in to the heartbroken and chaotic mind state that it represents.
‘howemptyofmetobesofullofyou’ is a track that further explores this heartbreak, with the themes of the tracks bleeding into each other throughout the EP in a way that feels really thoughtful and engrossing, building upon each other’s themes and showing different perspectives and moods that come with such territory. The grungy production and industrial edge of the sound makes for this gritty listening experience as the artist looks to try to forget somebody and move on, again bringing an intensity that feels palpable.
Things slow down a little bit on ‘BITEFOOT.’, a track that sees the artist utilising a much softer and more ethereal sound as she reflects on the dissolution of her relationship and how she wishes that things could be different, ultimately still struggling to come to terms with things and accept the loss. These feelings mutate into jealousy on the following track ‘New Space’, a track that sees the artist comparing her feelings to those of Thetis from Greek Mythology – a misunderstood Goddess, who was the victim of men. It is the unabashed and vulnerable way that the artist is happy to spill her guts and lay her feelings down on these tracks that makes them feel so powerful and hard-hitting, holding nothing back as she delves into every inch of pain and heartbreak that she has been experiencing.
The EP closes with the reflective title track ‘Glorified Daydreams’, a dreamy and intoxicating journey that has this wonderfully calming and soothing feel to it following the heartbreak and struggle that has come before it. The track has a really great feel to it throughout, regardless of whether the narrative is as fictional as the title suggests, offering the artist a bit of respite either way.
All in all, the EP as a whole is a fascinating journey into heartbreak, loss and jealousy, intensely crafted with utilising a wide breadth of the artist’s left-field creativity and ambition to craft these atmospheric and claustrophobic tracks that evoke these feelings of feeling shut off and hurt by the person that you love. The layered vocals and ethereal production just add to engrossing nature of the artist’s style, juxtaposing loss with the delusions and fantasies that we often conjure up to cope with it.
