Carmie Returns With An EP That Gives Off Loads of Persona and Hints of Southern Vibes
Carmie is one of those artists that always manages to tell tales through her music, and in doing so, you're getting a lot of persona thrown at you. This is one of the most lovable aspects of her songs, and throughout it all, she manages to blend several genres but lean into that Americana feel along the way.
It certainly seems like pop and country are two of her bigger influences, and you hear a lot of that throughout her music. This sets the tone for her latest release, Side B Stories, which, without a doubt, gives you a lot of that previously mentioned persona.
It's pretty interesting how she puts these songs together because she does have a lot of straightforwardness with her lyrics. She's unafraid to put all the different sides of that persona out there for everyone to sort of see and hear.
She's an artist who uses that music to express herself, and along the way, you get the stories that show who she is.
They're almost like diary entries or battle scars.
I think what really hits about this record is how much she humanizes herself. She's so vulnerable, in a way, that you almost automatically relate to where she's coming from.
Some songs feel like you're just sitting with a friend catching up. She's talking to you and telling you about all these things she's been through and how she feels about them.
"Stranger In The Park" serves as an amazing example of exactly that.
She digs deep into this particular chapter and situation in her life, she curses, she just is herself, and I think that speaks volumes for the artist because a lot of others are a little afraid to go that distance.
She's really letting a lot out.
This track, in particular, is a beautiful acoustic single that has a softness to it, but she gives it a little bit of that harshness when she feels necessary. Even when she does things like that, it's about letting out that vulnerability.
It's like you're getting everything up front.
Plenty of the record hits that pop vibe as well. It's a very pop-oriented record, although, as I mentioned earlier, you do get plenty of that folk and Americana throughout.
One of the best tracks, in my opinion, on this record is the last track on it, called "Bleed To Life," which has a smooth and sort of soulful pop feel. Plucking guitars and flowing vocals give this track a certain essence, and it feels good to listen to it. It's got an airy aesthetic, and it's easy to get attached to that.
When she wants to, she lays those vocals on, bringing thick harmonies and beautiful melodies that really bounce around in your brain forever.
This track has a lot of gospel feel. It's big and sort of intense when it comes to those vocal tracks and how she utilizes the harmonies to feel almost like a small Gospel Choir.
It's one of those things you definitely have to hear.
Now, the Southern Americana aspects still take place here because you have lap steel floating through the background of the track as well throughout all of this.
So, this is an example of how she's able to incorporate all of those different styles and influences, genres, and approaches into one song.
It's also catchy and memorable to boot.
She does go more Americana with songs like "Reputation To Maintain." This one also has lap steel as a main point of focus, mostly guitar-driven, and she still blends a lot of the pop on top of that country and Americana style.
She's great at combining genres and creating something that feels like it's all her own.
She's not reinventing the wheel, but she's tastefully restructuring, being original, and, most importantly, being herself.
I think it takes some bravery to release a record like this, simply because she's telling you a lot about who she is and doing it without the fear of judgment.
That just goes to show you she uses her music as a way to get things off of her chest. It's like she writes music because she has to. Maybe it's therapeutic or cathartic for her to do so.
It certainly feels that way when you listen to the record.
All in all, this is a gorgeous set of tracks that each take a little bit of a different shape and approach but have a consistency so that they attach to each other perfectly.
It feels like one confluent EP, which is exactly what it is.
Is it a personal EP? Absolutely. It has emotion, real stories, and more all embedded in the veins of its existence.
That is because Carmie does as well. She takes those real-life aspects, the feelings, the emotions, the situations, and she puts them into songs so that you can hear about the stories, and because of all that, you get a lot more out of records like this one.
So, jump into this EP right now. It is six songs in total, and right from the first track, you're getting a lot to take in in terms of that persona.
So, listen to these stories and see what it does for you.
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