Isla Mae's new EP is a guided tour of what it is to be a teenage girl.

By Rachel Caldwell

 

Within the first few seconds of listening to “Halfway to the Sun”, I knew this EP would be one to revisit often. At times Joni Mitchell-esque, at other times Lizzy McAlpine-like, but completely fresh and original. Isla Mae creates a sense of poignant nostalgia right from the very first note of the prologue, which is sustained throughout the EP. With non-complex and atmospheric chord progressions giving way to the raw and evocative lyrics, and crystal clear recording quality despite being a self-produced “bedroom indie record”, Halfway to the Sun is more than just a comfortable listen: it is a hike through the emotions and experiences of being a teenage girl, intensely sad and lonely but filled with the beauty and optimism that comes with growing into oneself, all portrayed in a wise and mature manner.

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Track 2, A Letter to the Moon, is fully immersive with layered harmonies swelling in and out of focus and an amount of reverb that could be overkill if in the wrong hands, but Isla Mae has utilised it to make the song feel almost far away – both in distance and time. It comes across as being about losing something special and not being able to come to terms with it, something that everybody is painfully familiar with, and she manages to capture a stillness in the painful, bitter lyrics (“You are the best and I made you the worst”).

Her voice is strong and consistent, even on “Little Miss Lonely” despite it being a live recording filled with riffs and runs that she sings with ease. Isla Mae says this track explores “The juxtaposing feelings around wanting a relationship but also the overriding desire to remain independent”, so the occasionally confusing, almost non-sensical lyrics work well within the context. It perhaps isn’t quite as nuanced as the other songs in the EP, but a very high quality song nonetheless, highly relatable and enjoyable, and an undeniably impressive performance.

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The title track Halfway to the Sun fully embodies the disassociation that comes with anxiety. It feels like the perfect homage to the pain and self-doubt, but also the joy and hope that comes with finding one’s identity in adolescence. This feeling is then complimented by the next track, Beautiful People, which has a Bob Dylan country-folk vibe. Whilst the lyrics start out almost fantastical, it feels grounded and filled with love for humanity in general. The rest of the EP is beautiful and raw and nostalgic, but also sad and painful and angry (in the best way), and this song feels like a cloud has cleared to shine light on the best aspects of relationships and human interactions. Isla Mae says herself that this song is intended as a “celebration of the people that bring love, balance and happiness when there is so much difficulty and sadness in the world”. And she nailed it.

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The EP ends with Little Things, a piano ballad about imposter syndrome within social situations and finding the people who make you feel at ease by accepting every part of you: It is as if through the EP, she has made her way through the personal struggles that she has highlighted, and on the way has found love and acceptance and peace. She stated that this EP is in part about feeling small, lonely and unsure, and the last line of the last song is “and we don’t feel small”. A perfect end to the tour of the teenage mind. This EP feels like the very definition of nostalgia, it is a tribute to all those who struggled or are struggling with finding themselves as they grow up – definitely a must-listen.