Project Description
MALLRAT
‘Driving Music’
(EP Review)
Reviewer: Laura Hughes
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There is something special about music that makes everything feel like summer. Music that makes you feel light and happy, and ready to twirl around in circles. Mallrat’s new EP Driving Music is that exact definition. It’s so airy and dreampop like, it makes you want to wind down your windows and take in the serenity of life.
Intro is the perfect start to this EP. With the soothing and slow beginning of dreamy sounding synths and light vocals. It really does take the name of the EP Driving Music quite literally, because it really does sound like something you can just listen to whilst driving, making you feel light and bubbly. However, the lyrics do have a deep meaning than what the music portrays it to be. I really enjoyed the short concept of this intro of the EP, because it just sets the vibe for it perfectly.
Drive Me Round starts off with minimal instrumentation, allowing her voice to shine. She uses her lower register at the start, almost murmuring the words of unrequited love and unsure feelings that she doesn’t know how to handle. It picks up the pace in the chorus, where more layers are added to the song. The new addition of backing vocals speaking behind the more prominent voice, making it seem that her thoughts are talking over the top of each other, making it seem that she can’t make up her mind up the person.
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Circles is a more fast-paced song. With this track, you should close your eyes and immerse yourself with the samples, synths, and pads that compliment her vocals so well. You can really hear the emotion carefully placed in the music as well as her lyrics. The way she talks about having someone making her run in circles for them, just so she can have them around, and the amount of faith she puts in them to keep her sane. She puts it so eloquently that it is simply amazing. This song really pulls you in and sparks emotion inside of you.
When I Get My Braces Off has a poppier vibe to it, almost as if it’s meant to be a club track. This track has a nostalgic feel to it, as it’s a throwback to her younger days. It represents youth, and the crazy things we got up to, what we said, and the way we behaved. The music fits it perfectly, as it holds that teenage angst mood to it, with faster-paced synths, and a solid bass line that mentally throws you back to when you where in High School.
Charlie takes a step-back, and hits with you a slower and laid back sound. The use of keys makes the track sound more sombre, which it is as it does speak of love and trials that can come along with it. It shows her taking look at the start of the relationship verse where it is now and how it has blossomed into something beautiful, something she wants to hold onto really tightly. The music does pick up making it sound more positive and warmer, giving you a light and fluttering feeling in your chest.
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Stay is emotional and sounds heartbreaking despite the light instrumentation. You can hear the regret in her voice about the falling out of her relationship. She is wondering if everything was meant to be, or should she wait to see if time will tell if this was a good idea. It really pulls you inside your head and brings out your emotions, and the doubts you keep inside of your head. Stay, is the most emotional song that I have heard her write, and it really shows that she delved deep down inside to bring out something this raw into the world for everyone to hear.
Driving Music is more than just light-hearted music that breathes and sings summer tunes. The dreampop like music masks the sensitive topics that her lyrics cover, and will quickly become songs to add to your playlist. It’s so easy to get entranced in this EP that you will just want to keep in playing on a loop.
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