GENRE | ROCK
VERDICT | ONE PART ACHEY, TWO PARTS BREAKY
LABEL | SELF-RELEASED
RELEASE | 6.20.11
GRYGIEL.BANDCAMP.COM
It’s taken for granted that, in all forms of art, one thing has been done to death: love. The fact that so many artists have tackled the L-word (not that L-word—though Grygiel has that too) makes it that much harder to stand-out when writing about romance. It also makes it that much sweeter when someone manages to express those well-trodden feelings without coming off like a chump.
The new EP from Jen Grygiel (formerly of MEandJOANCOLLINS) strikes all the expected romantic chords. There’s the slow and strained cry of “5:30 AM,” the break-up track. “Drive Me,” with building guitars and relentless drum-beat, is a gushy declaration of love for “the sweetest girl,” while the halting “Reckless Woman” is the pained rant of an unrequited lover. “Just Say Maybe” rounds out the package as the bittersweet, yet optimistic, “one more chance” song.
There’s hurting in these songs, but it’s a dangerous hurting—the pain of a wounded tiger, and not some lovesick puppy.