E^ST Reveals Introspective and Pop-tastic Debut Album "I'M DOING IT"
In a world where it’s hard to know what’s real, E^ST’s opulent pop provides a rare glimpse of honesty. Historically, E^ST has used music to explore her passion for fantasy, poetry and storytelling, but now it is time for a new chapter. Her debut album “I’M DOING IT” was recorded with acclaimed long-term collaborator Jim Eliot (Ellie Goulding, Anne-Marie, Halsey), and centers on dealing with heartbreak and feelings of isolation and failure.
“The first half of the album is all about being a heartbroken mess as your life falls apart, and it’s wallowing in that with no effort to make sense of it,” she said. “I mean you need to have a wallow — it’s crucial.”
It signals a huge leap forward from her EP releases “Old Age” and “Life Ain’t Always Roses”, which drew plaudits from the likes of The Fader and Paper. “I’M DOING IT” is an album whose story arc takes place after the collapse of a relationship, and which also finds Mel considering issues surrounding anxiety and her own mental health that’ve been with her for her entire career.
First track off of the album is ‘Fit For Company’, a soft, delicate interlude-style track whose fantastical production elements provide some light to offset the utterly heartbreaking lyrics. We then launch straight into the addictive melodies, driving piano line and gang vocals of ‘Flight Path’, followed by the quirky pop single ‘Maybe It’s Me’, which captured our hearts in April.
‘Found Somebody’ brings in the same slightly autotuned effect as ‘Fit For Company’, and combined with the 80’s synth sounds and drum-machine, we can definitely see this one evoking comparisons to The 1975. ‘I’m Not Funny’ is yet another taste of E^ST’s signature millennial nihilism, filled with self-deprecating lyricism and slightly off-kilter melodies that reflect its quirky writer. Again, ‘Turn’ brings to mind The 1975’s production style, mixing traditional acoustic sounds with eerie technological elements to create a sense of the track being produced in E^ST’s own bedroom.
Finally, the jump into the final five tracks is huge. These are bonafide bangers - there’s no doubt about that. Addictive melodies, snappy lyrics, crowd vocals - everything you could possibly need. As she intones in ‘Walking Home In The Rain’ “suddenly, the world doesn't look so bleak”. Our personal favourite of this bunch of commercial hits is ‘I Wanna Be Here’, which builds perfectly from a gentle piano ballad to a huge, anthemic, open-hearted ode to life.
Overall, the album is extremely well-paced, and tells a beautiful story of personal growth that will speak to a lot of people. It deals with mental illness in a perfectly nuanced and sensitive way that feels intensely personal. Our only criticism would be in the choice of singles from this debut; we’d choose ‘No One With You’ instead of ‘Maybe It’s Me’ any day! Either way, this album comes highly recommended from us.
