A new EP release from Laila brings out a beautiful combination of a subtle pop approach, honesty, and songs that are a little bit more driving and hard-hitting, but all boast a colorful and vibrant undertone that speaks volumes for the artist's presence and approach as a songwriter.
The Heart Doesn't Work Like That EP is such a personal and genuine release that you feel like you know her better as a person after the song is over almost like you sat and talked with a friend for a while.
The way these songs are delivered at times has a cinematic backbone and creates these vast atmospheres that you can both dance to and float along with at any given time and I love that combination.
One of the things that really pulled me into this record so quickly was this unique combination of vintage or old-school pop tonalities and a new-school soundscape as well which were brought together with a very close attention to detail and in doing so these songs have an almost nostalgic feeling to them like they could have served as the soundtrack to certain chapters in your own life.
A lot of the hooks and courses throughout this release stick in your head and bounce around for hours or even days after the songs have ended and the only way to satiate that is to listen to the songs again which is just smart songwriting in my opinion, but I feel like this is just how she writes naturally.
These tracks have such a massive sheen and polish to them so they feel shiny, and they come along with that character and persona that you can easily get attached to and I think that's possibly the most important part of it all.
She has a record that has this sort of deepening character because she's speaking of genuine situations and emotionally driven topics that you can relate to a lot of the time.
The release has a youthful vigor and a maturity in songwriting, but it all has a lot of heart and no matter how much attention to detail there was throughout the creation and recording process of this EP, it never loses that heart for even one second.
This record was bright and really let her Shine as an artist.
There are certain tracks that stand out to me as singles and would do incredibly well alone without the rest of the record, but I feel like this EP is like listening to chapters in her life and it should be soaked in from start to finish.
Everything is delivered with a certain gracefulness in the undertone and it's easy to get wrapped up in everything and then washed away with it as well.
I find it enlightening and refreshing to have a record you can actually escape into for a little while because it feels good to do that.
There are some layers that can be peeled back but aside from that, these songs are memorable and boast an amazing pop approach that works wonders for the genre.
This was a beautiful record delivered with heart, passion, authenticity, and a knack for good, strong pop songwriting.
I would give this a 9 out of 10 without a doubt.
Jump into this record as soon as you get a chance, and keep an eye out for Laila.