Sit down and let your mind wander in a beautiful hum.
Throughout the three tracks on Maggie Anderson’s debut, self-titled EP, I felt like I was hearing something exciting at its beginning. Not negative in the sense that it needed an edit or that it needed more production value. But, the songs sounded clean and honest. Maybe the songs even sounded brave.
“It’s All Pretend” has a beautiful acoustic guitar music bed. The sound is like a spinning pinwheel, colors emerging at the hottest point of a summer day. The wind takes it every so slightly, as images of blowing dandelions and whispering leaves across the prairie hills. Alongside the orchestration are Anderson’s stripped vocals. Her delivery is a loyal companion, much the same a glass of ice-cold lemonade quenches the thirst after an afternoon stroll. I like the feel and the tone of “It’s All Pretend.” I do think that the chorus became too repetitive. I yearned for more meat to the sandwich – the song’s intro and exit were song. Just when I dug a bit deeper into the lyrics, it seemed the song played its run.
“You’ll Be Around” satisfied my quest for a better ‘meat’ to my song sandwich. I almost pictured Anderson, a striking, delicate-looking blond, adding extra pressure to the guitar’s neck and pinching the pic with a bit more force than “It’s All Pretend.” This song felt like a simple waltz on a dreamy night.
“These Are The Nights” has a toe-tapping feel going for it. Just as the previous tracks, the guitar bed is simplistic, but very moving. Anderson’s voice hits several higher notes for a cutesy inflection.
Overall, Maggie Anderson garners a solid A for her first EP. I look forward to hearing more!
