let's shop for bedroom pop!
it's so great to see you! - Ellie Caro (Newer Music Tuesday)
I loved the bedroom pop era of youtube. I’m sure it still exists, but somewhere around 2016 it was extremely popular, with artists like Dodie amassing huge followings as their careers blossomed. Bedroom pop songs are usually lowkey and filled with angst or longing, the type of song that’s perfect for a late night or a mid-day walk, depending on the type of person you are. I’ve been missing bedroom pop, but I was thrilled to find out the genre is not only alive, but thriving with Ellie Caro and her stellar ep it’s so great to see you!
Both the first song “open” and the next one, “coping”, display Caro’s beautiful voice perfectly. Her angelic high harmonies are subtle, yet add so much to the songs themselves. I also enjoy the minimalistic quality of these songs especially, with “open” only employing strings and “coping” relying on a piano. Her melodies are light, able to float in the air as they repeat again and again.
My personal favorite off of it’s so great to see you! is the third track, “apology plz <3”. The name is adorable and immediately brought to mind the lowercase, text-like names of Olivia Rodrigo’s songs. Funnily enough, this song also reminds me a bit of Rodrigo, with its punchingly rockin’ sound and stabbing, targeted lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, I love Caro’s head voice throughout the ep, but man, when she uses her chest voice on the verse of this song, I really enjoyed it! It’s cool to hear “apology plz <3” after the first two songs — the employment of drums and more instruments forces you to listen in order to hear all the layers. Another great part of the song is the middle, when everything strips back in order to emphasize Caro’s (again, super rad) voice.
Another highlight for me was the last track “coda”. First of all, as a music nerd, I love the double meaning of the title. This song shows off the subtle harmonies that are Caro’s signature, in a way that may be the best on the whole EP. I love the acapella segments in the middle, and it’s just a sweet inner-thoughts kind of song.
Ellie Caro delivers a lovely ep with it’s so great to see you!, one that is perfect bedroom pop personified. With a sound reminiscent of Twenty One Pilots’ early days combined with Orla Gartland’s passion, Caro’s made-with-love sound is one that I’m looking forward to hearing more of in the future!
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