So So Gay
The third EP from the singer, songwriter, drummer and guitarist known as Florrie continues to showcase her knack for fresh and unique pop music. This EP isn’t quite as impressive as her last one Experiments was, but it’s still a great listen. With this effort she brings four new tracks to her catalogue and continues to expand on her distinctive and catchy style.
Being a drummer herself, the beats are always a highlight in Florrie’s music. On the fantastic first track ‘Shot You Down’ (featured below) there’s a great military type rhythm going on surrounded by synths that swell to abundant peaks and then float off again several times. Second track ‘I’m Gonna Get You Back” features a lot more guitar work, both electric and acoustic, with slightly manic beats that come and go as Florrie determinedly swears she’s going to win back her past lover.
Florrie has a very distinctive songwriting and production style that serves her well but also sometimes works against her. Florrie’s tracks tend to be based around very few lyrics and melodies that are repeated many times. There’s a definite lean on the interesting and varied production to construct her songs. For example, the track ‘Shot You Down’ starts with the lyrics ‘I shot him down down down down down down down down’ repeated ten times. After that, another longer refrain is repeated six times. This is the best song on the EP and that is actually one of the best moments, due to the magnificent production going on that’s quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Unfortunately, after ‘Shot You Down’ the rest of the EP, while still good, pales a little bit in comparison.
Third track ‘Every Inch’ is decent, but the slight redundancy of her style becomes quite obvious by the end. The tracks fade out with over thirty seconds of Florrie cooing ‘you wanna want me, you wanna want me’, which isn’t really necessary. Still, there’s a lot of quirkiness, smashing beats and throbbing synths to be enjoyed. The final song, appropriately titled ‘To The End’ was co-written with Norwegian pop princess Annie Strand. The verses are some of quietest moments on the EP, with some great piano flourishes and a breathy vocal delivery. This all builds up to a pulsating chorus that is one of the EP’s biggest moments. A great ending to this collection.
Overal, Late is a really enjoyable and interesting listen. This is the third EP Florrie has released as an independent artist and it will also be her last. She has recently revealed that she has signed a major label recording contract and her next release will likely be a full length album. Florrie is obviously hugely talented and we hope she finds a way to keep her own charm and style while refining the focus of her songs. That could very well help destine her to be a great success as she ventures into the world of the mainstream pop charts.
If you want to check out the EP before buying, it’s available to stream in its entirety on Florrie’s Website.
Go Get It: ‘Shot You Down’
Forget It: ‘Every Inch’
Late is available to download on iTunes and Amazon.
http://youtu.be/mlxgSnKSSEo
