There are always a million shows going on any given night here in the Twin Cities. It’s literally impossible for me to see everything I want to. I was super bummed when I couldn’t make it to Meg Kirsch’s release party just last week due to having a different show. She’s been buzzing around here and I wanted to see what said buzz was all about. I may not have made it to her show but I did snag a copy of her EP ‘Street Cat’. Finally, with some down time, I cracked it open and instantly regretted whatever show I chose over hers.
“Sunday” starts off quiet and calm like any Sunday should. Unsure of what is to come when the track kicks off with just ambient noise, Meg Kirsch’s voice instantly takes over the track and, like a giant bear hug from your favorite uncle, wraps it’s arms around you and brings you a sense of comfort. The way Meg’s voice slides from note to note is beyond beautiful. The simple sounding guitar work behind her voice and the echoey beat of a drum only enhance her voice rather than take away any of the spotlight. Even when the slide guitar comes in and the beat picks up a little bit with the addition of more instrumentation, Meg’s voice reigns supreme as it will throughout this five song EP.
The quietness and calmness of “Sunday” is quickly replaced by a more upbeat vibe for “Hometown”. Meg’s voice comes over as a bit stronger and more commanding while still keeping this very distinct and unique way of sliding from note to note. While clearly more up beat than the opening track, “Hometown” still has this sense of warmth about it. Honestly, if it wasn’t 9AM (why in the actually hell am I awake this early on a Saturday?!), this would be the perfect album to pour a glass of wine to and just sit on the couch browsing through the magazines that have been piling up over the past couple of weeks.
The roller-coaster ride continues as the EP moves onto “Buzzin”. The ambiance that introduced the first track is back to introduce this song and, just like before, Meg’s voice comes in and wraps it’s arms around you. Definitely one of the more somber songs on this release, “Buzzin” has a sense of sadness to it that has yet to be seen on the previous two songs. Although clearly a downer, it’s not the kind of song that makes your eyes swell up with tears, more the type of song that just makes you content with being who you are and doing what you’re doing without caring about any judgement that may be coming your way. Lyrics can always be taken a million different ways but the hook in this song lyrically is “I don’t wanna be buzzin anymore.” When I hear those words mixed with the calmness of this song, it makes me think of someone just wanting a couple of minutes to sit back and not have anything to do. As a workaholic and a person who is typically just a ball of anxiety, this song definitely hit me right in the feels. Take the lyrics how you want but, because of the way these lyrics hit me, “Buzzin” is definitely my favorite track out of the five on this release.
“Run” stands out on this EP due to the way it kicks off with a drum machine. Although the drum machine is much louder than most of the other instrumentation on this EP, it still doesn’t come close to taking over Meg’s voice. This is another song where the lyrics just hit you. Singing about being “mad when she’s anxious and I’m anxious all the time”, this song (hell, this entire EP) makes you feel like you’re just listening to a friend vent over a bottle of wine. “Nothing hurts if you don’t let it” repeats over and over again and I instantly realized that that was the manta that I’ve needed for so long. So simple and just seven words strung together, the way that line is repeated is one of those moments that gives you chills.
Closing out the five song release is the title track “Street Cat”. Although the last song, I love the fact there are still new elements added to this. A bit of a country vibe in Meg’s voice for this song, the sense of power that was introduced in “Hometown” seems to be back but there’s also this vibe of sadness like I heard in “Buzzin”. Each song seemed to bring something new to the table and “Street Cat” seems to be the culmination of all of that. The song seems to gain traction as it ends making it almost impossible to not go back to “Sunday” and start the journey that is Meg Kirsch’s ‘Street Cat’ EP all over again.
This EP is the perfect soundtrack to making breakfast on a Sunday morning or to having a glass of wine on a Tuesday night. It can be taken a million different ways depending on your mood but, regardless of how you take it, it’s a truly beautiful release.
My Favorite Track(s): “Buzzin”
Chances Of Getting A Noise Complaint While Listening To In An Apartment: 4.2 out of 10
Day-Dream-ability: 8.3 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Artemis puked up his breakfast because he clearly ate too fast; Autumn screamed from the bedroom as if to tell me I was taking too long to clean it up
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 7.2 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 4.1 out of 5
Check Out Meg Kirsch Here:
Check Out Meg Kirsch on Spotify Here!
Shameless Self Promotion- Donate Here To Keep This Blog Alive!
Leave a Reply