Written by: Oliver Heffron
Nashville popstar Gayle offers an honest, hilarious, and heartfelt performance on a study of the human experience volume two, delivering engaging songwriting and stunning melodies.
The former Nuance Cover Artist displays a maturity in her songwriting rarely seen in an artist her age. Pulling back from the lovesongs on a study of the human experience volume one, the second volume contemplates ideas like grief, abuse, identity, and belief through a self-aware and vulnerable lense.
“indieedgycool,” starts the project with the hilarious, universally-felt sentiment: “I think I’m original and everybody’s copying me,” before admitting, “I love Tame Impala, I don’t what that means.” Gayle’s an artist that equally holds the listener with her ability to legitimately sound cool over the track’s slick bassline and her gift for dropping poignant lines like these that make you feel less alone. She teams up with blackbear on “fmk” to create a chaotic back and forth over an immensely catch track.
“god has a sense of humor” recounts a childhood confrontation with death over a slow-building arrangement, swinging back and forth between the light and dark in a compelling contemplation of grief. Gayle shares a gut-wrenching account of statutory rape on “15,” describing how she has to live with it in a powerful address to her abuser. “snow angels,” an accidental interpolation of Demi Lovato’s “Cool for the Summer,” ends the project like a restorative musical bonfire with its sing-along chorus and communal atmosphere.
Since bursting onto the scene with the #1 worldwide hit “abcdefu,” Gayle shows a special gift for writing compelling, true, and catchy songs with each new release.
Photo Credit: Acacia Evans