A recent EP release from ALIE comes through with a 90s pop-rock undertone that crosses into a contemporary feel and is delivered with intense vocals and a wonderfully stated story that, even though it is particular, is very relatable to a lot of people.
One of my favorite songs from the record, "Franck Jones" follows the story of a man who seemingly had a few struggles throughout his life and misled himself into different situations and it's told from an outside point of view and with much detail in descriptions and situations so that you really can paint a vivid picture in your head throughout the song.
There's a wonderful looseness to this track that again, gives it that 90s sort of radio rock tonality but it also has this thing about it that makes it feel alive and breathing and when you listen to it you feel like you've just read a short story or watched a short film.
This is one of my favorite aspects of the Letting You Know EP in general. Her ability to tell the story with such intensity and gusto, detail, and articulation was very cool and certainly gets you engaged lyrically.
You get completely sucked into it and forget about where you are, and I think that that's a really important aspect that music has been sort of missing for a while.
The ability to escape into someone else's story.
I can't be sure if this was a personal or real situation the artist experienced. It may just be completely fictional but either way, you really come out with an understanding of what happened, and this is a recurring thing throughout the EP.
You also feel for the character and that's something that happens when you watch a movie or a TV show. You get attached to the character because you know their backstory and how they feel on the inside sometimes.
This song describes all of that so well that you become attached to "Franck Jones" the person and for a song to be able to accomplish that is no small feat.
The track does an amazing job of showcasing a youthful songwriter with the ability to create songs that pull you in through different facets.
The EP is full of detailed stories like this, and each song has a little bit of a different approach but is delivered with the same level of soul and intensity.
Throughout the record, you get everything from chunks of rock to bopping piano tracks, and indie pop along with so much more that all together create an atmosphere that you just don't want to leave.
Much like "Franck Jones", you're able to wrap your head around the imagery and storylines for pretty much every song on this release.
Although "Franck Jones" stands on its own two feet very well as a single, listening to the full ep from start to finish is really the way to go here because again, it's like picking up a good book.
You feel very satisfied when it's all over and throughout the course of the record, you have different pieces of different songs that bounce around in your head for hours or even days after they've ended.
One of the best ways to scratch that itch is to listen to the EP again and to me that's just really smart songwriting although I think it comes naturally to ALIE.
Everything is structured and arranged really well but also has that touch of looseness within it so that you still pay attention to those stories.
I feel like ALIE is one of those artists who are really in her zone when she's creating the music and recording it because you can tell there was a lot of attention to detail and a lot of great instrumentation and musicianship going on.
These are the kinds of things that make me wonder what comes first with a songwriter like this.
Do the lyrics come first or the story? Or does she write the music and then start building from there?
I think that's one of the coolest things in terms of how artists work.
Their process is everything in terms of their end creation and for this one it worked so well that it's hard to forget about.
The EP definitely has a great pop undertone and there is this wonderful level of heart that I think comes from an artist that has a pure love for her craft.
You can just hear that in the song itself.
I suggest jumping into this release because it will not be a waste of your time.
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