EP Review: "Daddy Issues" - POLLY

Australian Queer Pop Artist, POLLY has released her first EP, "Daddy Issues", a deeply personal project that reflects on how her childhood has impacted and influenced every part of her adult life.

TRACKLIST

BETTER

B.I.T.E. ME

Colours

Feels Like

POLLY is based in Melbourne, Australia where her love for music began at a young age. She remembers sitting at the piano with her grandma, who taught her how to play and read music at the age of 7. POLLY released her first ever official single in 2023 titled "Sunday". Throughout the past few years, she's consistently released singles, gaining radio play and listeners in over 116 countries. Now, it's time for the next big step. POLLY's debut EP, "Daddy Issues" embodies a signature sound that's nostalgic yet digitally modern at the same time. It makes you want to move, but gives you vulnerable and emotional storytelling all in one.

"I’ve poured everything into this EP. As an independent artist it takes so much time, energy and money to put a body of work together but it’s worth all of it… Writing these songs was like giving little me a big hug, telling her it’s going to be okay. It was cathartic and heartbreaking and releasing it is terrifying. I’m so excited to share this vulnerable piece of me with people and for them to take away from the songs whatever they need to right now." - POLLY

BETTER

We start off with "BETTER", a single about wishing you could make yourself a picture perfect person with the picture perfect life. Especially in today's society of social media, we tend to be extra hard on ourselves. We think we need to overwork to achieve the highest levels of success, and look like we walked off the cover of a magazine 24/7 with a relationship plastered on the internet that has never seen a moment of negativity. But the reality is, those goals are just unrealistic, and in return we end up beating ourselves up for not being perfect. "BETTER" is about those moments where we wish that things could be easy and squeaky clean, especially when it comes to romance. It has that crying-in-the-club vibe, with a heavy electronic pop soundscape. POLLY sings with slight autotune and a vocoder to blend into the digital atmosphere, but keeps the emotion of the story stable, giving you just the right amount of gut-punching sadness.

B.I.T.E. ME

Next, we have "B.I.T.E. ME", a playful, sassy, attitude filled, big F-U to all the exes out there who have ever moved on too fast after breaking our hearts. Have you ever been broken up with, but then once you saw that they're already with someone new, instead of being sad or hurt, you just felt pure rage and anger? Then the song "B.I.T.E. ME" is just for you. POLLY sings in a sweet, fun-loving, sarcastic tone over-top an edgy soundscape with pulsating drums and a heavy bass that would be vibrating the heck of out of your speakers if you listened to it in your car. The groove is impossible not to move to, and that hook is gonna get stuck in your head, so just be prepared. If you're feeling an undying need for revenge on an ex, just blast this song and sing along.

Colours

Switching things up a bit, we have "Colours", a tragically beautiful piano ballad about the longing for a love that was never going to be good for you, no matter how bad you wanted it to be. It's that kind of person that took everything you had, and then left you to wonder about them for the rest of your life. You know that you should move on, but they're so ingrained inside of your mind that it's nearly impossible. You don't know if it's the trauma or just all the what could've beens, but you can't shake them from your life, even if they've completely wiped you clean from theirs. "Colours" has tear-jerking lyrics with raw vocals sang straight from POLLY's heart. The soundscape is dreamy yet mournful as piano and strings whisp through the atmospheric production. The rhythm and drums are gentle and sound like a heartbeat, which I can only imagine was intentional.

Feels Like

Last but not least, we have the closing track "Feels Like", the melancholic track of watching everyone around you enjoy the night in their youth, while you can't shake the feeling of self-loathing and dread. A soft stomping beat holds the foundation of this song, while layers of ethereal, echoing synths fill the air. Heavy reverb and delay add to the atmospheric tone of being stuck inside of your own head. POLLY sings with an emotive timbre like no one is listening. It's a heavy emotion that she just needs to get out. Everything put into this song, you can feel it in your chest, pulling at your heart strings. Seriously, what an incredible outro song.

You can tell when an artist has poured their heart and soul into a work of art, and POLLY not only gave everything she had when it came to the sound and storytelling for the songs of "Daddy Issues" the EP, but she was honest and vulnerable with her own personal life. It takes strength to be that real with your listeners, and in return you get people who can relate on such a deep, meaningful level that the music sticks with you. The craziest part is POLLY is still only getting started, and she's already making songs that deserve so much more attention than they are getting. If you loved the "Daddy Issues" EP, make sure to follow POLLY below to keep up on what is yet to come.

Written By Kaitlyn Nicole

FOLLOW POLLY:

Instagram | Spotify

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