While most people may not be familiar with Julia Michaels, chances are they have more than one occasion heard (and even sung along to) the songs she wrote. The 25-year-old American songwriter, if you must know, is the force behind some of the biggest pop hits from over the past few years including Justin Bieber's Sorry, Selena Gomez's Bad Liar and Hands To Myself, and Gwen Stefani's Used To Love You. But after realising that some of the songs she penned spoke to her more than it would any of the industry's A-listers, she decided to carve her path as a solo artist -- the move marked by the release of her 2017's debut single, Issues, followed by the seven-track EP, Nervous System.
This year, Michaels returns with a follow-up EP, a collection of six confessional tracks titled Inner Monologue Part 1. Set to sparse acoustic guitar, Selena Gomez-featured opener Anxiety addresses their shared struggle with, well, anxiety by essentially rolling every related meme into one ("But all my friends, they don't know what it's like … I've been told that I could take something to fix it. Damn, I wish it, I wish it was that simple").
On the pristine pop banger Into You, she's going out of her way to avoid bumping into an ex ("I thought about movin' to a different state/ A different country, yeah, maybe that'd be better/ So I'm not around you"). Happy finds her running a litany on all the things that might save her from misery ("I'd sniff glitter if it'd help me feel something real") while Deep and Apple, the former discussing a break-up whereas the latter celebrating being in love, veer off into a pop-rock and indie-folk territory.
Closing ballad What A Time is a collaboration with former One Direction member Niall Horan. Here, the pair reminisce about all the good old times they spent together. "I think of that night in the park, it was getting dark/ And we stayed up for hours," goes the harmonised chorus. "What a time, what a time, what a time/ You clinged to my body like you wanted it forever."
Quotable lyrics: "And sometimes I think I kill relationships for art/ I start up all this shit to watch 'em fall apart" (Happy).
The verdict: The singer-songwriter has found a way to approach heavier subjects like mental health with the charm of a budding pop sensation.
THE PLAYLIST
James Blake (featuring Travis Scott and Metro Boomin) / Mile High
UK sound alchemist James Blake links up once again with rapper Travis Scott on the lead cut of his fourth studio LP, Assume Form. Titled Mile High, the track marks their third collaboration following Scott's The Ends and Stop Trying To Be God -- the former appearing on 2016's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight and the latter last year's Astroworld. This will come as no surprise to those who have been following Blake's hip-hop-oriented sonic trajectory over the past few years (remember his collaborations with luminaries like Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar?). Now onto the song in question, it's all auto-tuned Bon Iver from the get-go until Scott swoops in with his languorous flow set to Metro Boomin's trap beats. The highlight, however, is the chorus finds Scott and Blake exchanging verses that theologise the experience of copulating 30,000 feet above ground ("Lasting like Duracell … Lasting like Duracell 40 days, 40 nights. Feel like a holy night"). Intrigued yet? Check back next Sunday for a full review on Assume Form.
Empire Of The Sun / Chrysalis
It's been exactly 10 years since the world has received the gift of Empire Of The Sun's debut studio album, Walking On A Dream. Deemed one of the records that helped define the sonic landscape of the late 2000s, it's only fitting that Walking is getting a reissue to commemorate its 10th anniversary. Apart from old favourites like the title track, Standing On The Shore, and We Are The People, the limited-edition vinyl also features a new song called Chrysalis, a mid-tempo number packed with life-affirming lyrics and general good vibes ("And we all rise/ From the shadows, from the slumber, sun rise/ Each and everyone/ It's gonna be all right if we stick together for all time").
Vampire Weekend / Harmony Hall
"We took a vow in summertime/ Now we find ourselves in late December," already the first lines of Vampire Weekend's comeback cut Harmony Hall hearken back to the lyrical theme of their earlier materials like Holiday and Horchata. Musically, though, things are a little looser with light-footed guitar strumming mingling with a bright piano groove. "And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness/ Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight/ Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified," Ezra Koenig sings before concluding with what pretty much equates to an audible sigh, "I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die."
Make Me Fat / Tee Thur Kid Kue Sing Nai
Like their whimsical band name, Make Me Fat makes the kind of pop music that's instantly likeable. Made up of vocalist Ball Dheerasak and guitarist View Ponchamni, the home-grown duo have been fashioning their own sound with elements drawn from funk, soul and R&B. Following the danceable disco/funk Glow In The Dark, their latest cut Tee Thur Kid Kue Sing Nai (What Is It You're Thinking About) slides into the mass-appealing pop-rock territory, yet still sounding fresh and lo-fi enough to stand out.
The Killers / Land Of The Free
The Killers' Land Of The Free is a reference-heavy ballad that touches on America's pressing issues ranging from gun control to racial tensions. Here, frontman Brandon Flowers tackles the current political climate under the Trump administration head-on as he cites white privilege ("When I go out in my car, I don't think twice/ But if you're the wrong colour skin/ You grow up looking over both your shoulders"), the prison-industrial complex, and the border wall ("Concrete and rebar steel beams/ High enough to keep all those filthy hands off").
