you were good to me by Chloe Lilac

By Phil Hawkins

In the pop punk genre, which is predominantly known for bands like Simple Plan, STATE CHAMPS and an array of other male fronted bands, it is a bit of an anomaly to not only find a solo artist that handles the genre well, but to find a solo female artist who doesn’t try to be another copy of Paramore’s Haley Williams. Chloe Lilac is definitely making a name for herself in a not so subtle way. Just imagine taking the pop sensibilities of Kelly Clarkson and combining it with the “punk” side of Avril Lavigne only give it more bite.

While this is only a 4 track ep it wastes no time with the limited time it is given. Things open with “lily’s backyard” which has a grittier tone than the rest of the ep, but it also what makes the track stand out as such a strong opener. At only 26 seconds in you know that Chloe means business and doesn’t intend to let up. The track is kind of distortion heavy in parts and can seem a bit chaotic, but it does so in all the right ways. “how does your girlfriend feel about it” follows and is the track that will get stuck in your head. It is catchy and follows its predecessor nicely.

For the second half of the ep things are a bit more toned down and focus more on musicianship and lyrical content. “last week” is a strong acoustic track that shows the contrast of the ep’s first half to it’s second half. The ep closes with “only love song” which is the longest track, but it is the perfect closer to the ep. It takes all the best qualities of the other three tracks and combines them beautifully. It may be the album closer, but it also serves well as a cliffhanger ending leaving the listener wanting more.

Though it may be short it gives a glimpse of an artist who has a lot of potential and should be turning a lot of heads. It is well balanced and well written with the short runtime being the only downfall.

you were good to me is available now on all major streaming platforms.