Rising young artist teo tala explores heartbreak through the five stages of grief on his compelling new EP good grief
On his thoughtful new EP good grief, rising Filipino-American indie pop artist teo tala explores a heartbreak through the five stages of grief, making for a collection of tracks that traverse a wide spectrum of emotions and feelings through the lens of a young artist who wears his heart on his sleeve.
The EP opens with ‘down bad’, a track that finds the artist still at the height of his optimism, daydreaming about the future and wondering about what could be. There is a really light and breezy indie pop style that immediately sets a lush tone for the EP and the creative little sonic intricacies that are interspersed throughout.
The anger portion of the EP comes next in the form of ‘I’m Doing Fine’, a track that melds infectiously catchy melodies with more sharper-edged and bitter moments that seem to be aimed at himself and his delusional mind rather than anybody else, while still making for a sombre and sobering listening experience that inevitably leads to feeling of hatred and anger from the artist.
The increased delusion of the bargaining stage rears its head on ‘she loves me so’, another track that has a real kind of sadness to it as the artist tries to bat away his damaging, delusional thinking with the harsh realities of the situation and prevent any more hurt and heartache from coming. It makes for a really interesting and thoughtful track that captures the conflicting emotions that come with such situations.
‘Love Doctor’ is a track that begins to feel like a turning point on the EP, exploring themes like depression in a way that feels just as sad, but at least it feels more rooted in reality, now looking to get over them rather than dwelling on what could have been or could be. There is a quietly rousing feel to the track in spite of the sorrowful nature of the lyrics, but it hints at more hopeful moments that are just around the corner.
The stripped-back ‘Let Me Go’ serves as the emotional crux of the EP and its resonating finale, with the artist coming full circle and accepting that no matter how good things could have been, things are too different now and there is no going back on what is already done. The emotion and heart of the track feels palpable and makes for some truly rousing moments, and it does a great job of putting a bow on what has been a rollercoaster of emotions and giving the EP a satisfying conclusion.
