I Can’t Cry For You
The best music to listen to is personalized, though it may not always be the easiest to listen to. It can be especially difficult if a song(s) elicits an unexpected reaction, though sometimes this can actually be a good thing. Either way when music evokes an emotional response from its listener, that’s a clear signal that regardless of subjective opinion, enjoyment or lack thereof, the artist has done something right. British singer Phoebe Green is able to accomplish this, and she’s able to do it in less than fifteen minutes. Her EP, which came out in 2020, consists of four songs; each experimenting with different sounds, style, and meaning.
I Can’t Cry for You is technically Green’s first official collection since her self-released mixtape back in 2016, though she has recently released a new single here or there since.
I Can’t Cry for You is technically Green’s first official collection since her self-released mixtape back in 2016, though she has recently released a new single here or there since. The artist looks to diversify herself as a changeling in this new extended play as the four song exploration showcases her knack for trying new things and refusing to stick to one way of making music. The four tracks Reinvent, Grit, Golden Girl, and A World I Forgot are all sure to be fresh to the music scene, being that by the sound of them, she’s not in close comparison with anyone else right now. In this novel release Green sings about her own insecurities, selfhood, and how she’s perceived and/or wants to be perceived by those around her. This personalized EP doesn’t particularly express new ideas that others aren’t talking about, but the method in which she presents everything is what makes her music distinctive.
The opening track Reinvent sounds like something out of a ‘brat pack’ movie, layered with 80s synths and old school percussion. She approaches the literal idea of ‘reinventing’ herself, but doing so differently depending on the type of people that she’s around. Grit is vastly different from the first track, in content and production. The mood of it is grim and the sound is more modern, cueing off a piano in a tragic resonation with the lyrics telling a fragile story of self-consciousness and psychological instability. The last two tracks don’t carry as much expressive depth as the first two, but still have their place in the collection as they’re both contrasting in their own way. Golden Girl reads as more of a soft dance track, ringing as futuristic in nature and pop-like in rhythm. A World I Forgot could almost be described as ‘cyber-punk’, mostly driven by an aura of electro-pop as though it was produced by a DJ.
If she’s able to produce a full length album consisting of songs like this, Phoebe Green is going to find an audience, deservedly so. She’s put in the work, and again, she’s not afraid to get personal. She’s also in her own niche that’s virtually untouched by others, making it hard to pin down any one influence of music she may be steered by. Catch her latest EP drop on Spotify, or even her accompanied lyric videos on YouTube.
