When I first sat down to listen to Brittany Myers’ EP ‘Demons’, I found myself smiling instantly. She’s this tiny little thing with a sweet voice that has just the right hint of husk. ‘Demons’ is a big name to stick on something, and it really worked for me here. Her voice is very pure, and her acoustic accompaniment is chill and mellow, but the lyrical content packs a significant punch. A good book can take you on an adventure through someone else’s life, and this EP translates like a well-written diary. As a listener, you’ll be best-served to disregard the shuffle button and carve out enough time to listen to each of the five songs in sequence in order to fully embrace the experience.
There’s a subtle and haunting melodic theme interwoven through ‘Demons’ that really pulls it together as a work of art–I found it most apparent in the choruses of “Warning”, “Drinking Alone” and “Coming Home”. The theme of self-discovery and growth is almost tangible on the journey through these three songs, moving from “I tried to warn you/I’m no good/I’m no good/so leave me” to “and I’m so good/I’m so good on my own” and ending with “darling I’m coming home”. I found myself piecing these songs together even though they aren’t sequential on the EP, due to recurrent themes and complementary guitar accompaniment. Brittany’s other two songs, “It’s Not Me, It’s You” and “Bluebird”, separate the other three nicely.
This may be a five song EP, but it’s well organized. The thoughtfulness to construct really enhances the listening experience. These two tracks showcase a slightly different guitar approach and very expressive vocals. I’d be willing to bet that as Brittany grows as an artist, her sound is going to lean more in the direction of these two tracks. “It’s Not Me, It’s You” is harsh honesty presented with grace: “You know I feel so washed up/on the shores of the sheets of your bed/covered in your love/it just wasn’t enough.” “Bluebird” has this eerie vintage taste, and I really wanted it to be happy, but it ends up being a punch to the gut: “There’s a bluebird inside of me/and he’s dying to get out/there’s a bluebird inside of me/but I push him down.” The fact that this track is just so pretty and poignant while evoking such sadness made it my favorite on the EP.
I was lucky enough to get some insight from Brittany on her EP. She discussed what ‘Demons’ means to her:
“Demons is an extremely personal album for me. Every song that I write is based on personal experiences or personal insecurities. I try to use metaphors to convey them instead of just flat out saying it because I like when a song has the ability to mean something different to each listener. For example, “Coming Home” to me might mean dying or it could mean being set free and truly living. But the overarching them of demons is there. I guess the album for me is about things that I have been struggling with since graduating from college. Finding a job doing what I really want, the entrapment of student loans, wanting to leave home, having temporary attachments to people you know you will leave. Those kind of things.”
Regarding her style and growth as an artist, Brittany is still in a place of discovery. “As far as my style and lyrical content, I’m still trying to figure out my sound. I listen to a lot of depressing dark music. My music influences are people such as Elliott Smith, Conor Oberst, Keaton Henson, etc. I’ve always just connected more to songs that make me feel emotion. I like the idea of making people think a song is happy, but then shocking them when they actually listen to the music. I would like to find a way to write in a way that appears more broken, but I just haven’t gotten there yet.”
I’m truly looking forward to Brittany getting where she wants to be musically, and if ‘Demons’ is indicative of what the future holds, I’ll definitely be sticking around to see what comes next.
Kori Shearer is born, raised, and still living in southwestern PA. Her musical tastes run fairly wild, but she has a big soft spot for lyrical flow, harmonies, and fingerpicking. Armed with a passion for creating, Kori constantly tries to find new ways to enrich the world around her through words, art, and music. She can also be found co-blogging at www.curiouscompendia.com.
