Girl at the Rock Shows

It has honestly been a day from hell. Although I’m excited for my show tonight because I know it will help set my head straight, I also dread it. I want a night to sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing while cuddling with the cats and binging some terrible TV. That being said, you know me and know that I’m not going to miss a show, so I need to get in the right mindset, and I think checking out some new music may help with that.

Laila Mack’s debut album ‘reasons’ kicks off with ‘lol’ and, honestly, as this opening track played through, I smiled for the first time today. It’s not the most positive song, but it has great energy. Think old-school Avril Lavigne vocals with some DIY punk-inspired instrumentation that feels a bit like Machine Gun Kelly, and you can get close to envisioning this song. Although I love both of those things, the crystal clear vocals that come through with this sense of playfulness really had me sold and smiling throughout this opening track. Sure, some of this song is a bit juvenile but it’s not the obnoxious kind. Although thirty-five years old, by the end of this song, I was too was singing “lol.”

The second track on this quick six-song release is the title track, “reasons”. Although the energy is still high, like in the first track, and the instrumentation has that same DIY vibe to it, there seems to be a bit more heart in this song. Don’t get it twisted– I can already tell that there is heart throughout this release, but there’s something about Laila’s vocals in this one that really made me feel like I know this girl. Every number Laila counts in this song seems to draw me further into her world and realize that, although her voice is definitely a bit poppier than I tend to go for, there was no denying that I was relating to many of the reasons she explained in this song.

The intro to “cheapstake” is pop-punk gold, as is the rest of this song. This song features more of Laila’s edge, and I love it. Although still a beautiful pop-leaning song with that raw background, her vocals feel straight off of the top 40 radio charts for all of the right reasons. That being said, this is far from a top-40 song. Again, Laila’s edge and shining personality keep this song from feeling redundant or generic. Make sure to listen to this whole song. There’s a dramatic yet perfectly curated change-up about halfway through this song that both caught me off guard but also made this a standout track.

You finally get to see that more tender side of Laila Mack in “felon”. It’s a side that you catch glimmers of throughout this album, but they really come to the forefront of this ballad-like track. It’s gorgeous. There’s no other way to put it. Instead of letting her voice remain bright and poppy, there’s something dark and utterly heartbreaking about the vocal tone in this song, but I love it. Although I’m not going through heartbreak right now (thankfully), there was still that odd sense of relatability that Laila does so well, making this one of those tracks that I will absolutely keep in my back pocket for a day when my heart is aching.

It’s crazy to hear the transition from the darkened heartbreak of “felon” into the more triumphant and IDGAF energy of “u,” but it’s absolutely genius. Another standout track on this album for me, “u” caught me in a weird way. I wish I could tell you exactly why, but the truth is, this is one of those songs that, just right off the bat, had me caught by the simplistic-sounding yet heart-filled words. Honestly, the instrumentation feels a bit redundant at this point in the album, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Laila knows what works with her voice and what will make her shine, and that’s exactly what happens in this song.

“nothing left to say” ends the journey that is ‘reasons’ perfectly and will leave you wanting more from this young songstress. Out of all of the songs on this six-song album, this final track has something more commercial than the rest of the tracks while still being clearly that of Laila Mack. There were a couple of moments throughout this song that made me wonder just how much Taylor Swift Laila was listening to when writing this song. That may not sound good, but I promise it is.

Laila is still young. This is her debut album, and it shows so much promise. Sure, some of the instrumentation started to bore me by the end of this album, but these songs are not about the instrumentation. They are about her vocals, her writing, and her spirit, and all three of those things stand out so beautifully throughout each of these six songs.

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