Girl at the Rock Shows

As is the case with most Fridays, a lot of amazing music dropped today but one of my favorites is definitely ‘Forsaken Melodies’, the new EP from speakeazie. I still remember the first time I heard speakeazie. I had gotten her previous EP, ‘Bootlegger Blood’ from a friend and, as soon as I hit play, I felt obsessed with this amazing local act so, yeah, maybe I’m a little biased when it comes to calling this my favorite release of the day. That being said, there’s no denying that this follow-up is just as stunning, just as creative and just as amazing while showing a true evolution to speakeazie’s music.

In true speakeazie form, this release kicks off with a calming elegance when it comes to opening track “Love Me Wild, Love Me Crazy”. I only mean this when referring to the very beginning of the track because, after just a couple of seconds, speaeazie entrances you with her smoky yet spirited vocals. Her vocals slide from note to note while perfectly telling you a story that is easy to follow. The instrumentation behind this opening track has an almost 80s influence to it with a little razzle dazzle that I didn’t hear in her previous EP but, if this is an ongoing trend throughout this five-song release, I would not be made about it.

“Don’t Come Crying To Me” has a very haunting intro to it again, showcasing speakeazie’s enchanting vocals but, instead of going into the 80s vibe heard in “Love Me Wild, Love Me Crazy”, this second track has a more somber and mature feeling to it. There’s this undeniable sense of pain that comes through in every word but the beauty of her vocals never falters. This track takes a more dreampop stance on things giving you a very lush and atmospheric background for her vocals to dance over. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is not a super happy fun song but it had me completely in awe until the very end.

“Never Hurt You Like You Hurt Me” was an instant favorite of mine. Although you still get speakeazie’s signature smoky vocals, you get an infectious beat to go with them. The best part about this song is how the drum hits feel so harsh and so calculated yet the vocals continue to be airy and perfectly dance over everything else. The contradiction of these two things creates a super cool experience for you as a listener. It’s as if you can choose which vibe to follow. If you’re having a great day, follow the infectious beat. If you’ve had one of those days where everything seems to have gone wrong, follow the vocals to give you a little bit of support while also giving you a sense of energy.

I don’t support over-drinking or anything like that but the title of the fourth song on this album really spoke to me. “Day Drink Till I Feel Ok”. Although none of us like to admit it, we have all had those days where you wake up and just want to start drinking because nothing is going right. Hearing that in song-form and with the raw and emotive vocals that speakeazie pulls off so seamlessly seemed to really hit me in the feels. We all put musicians on a pedestal to some extent so hearing someone that I admire (like speakeazie) sing about things that we don’t like to talk about but do it so openly and with so much passion really hit me hard.

This all-too-quick EP ends with “When You Thought of the Reasons”. This is definitely a statement piece and a perfect way to close out this journey. This track has everything that speakeazie does so well– dazzling instrumentation, a harsh beat, and those signature sultry vocals. Out of all of the tracks on this release, this is the one that I think would be a great introduction into the speakeazie world for people. There’s something accessible and slightly commercial about this while still being distinctly speakeazie. I don’t know how she did it but, even though the beat never changes in this final song, I found myself on a rollercoaster ride of a listen. There were moments that I wanted to get up and dance and others where I just wanted to grab the closest and softest blanket near me and curl up. A genius song to end a beautiful release.

speakeazie definitely has a distinct sound and style that bridges the gap between this EP and ‘Bootlegger Blood’ but, more importantly, there’s evolution between these two albums. When you listen to them back-to back, you hear obvious growth not only stylistically but just with how confident speakeazie seems in her voice and style. I know that ‘Forsaken Melodies’ literally just came out but I’m already anxious for her next release.

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