New Kinda New

 

   After years of following Bethan Leadley, she has finally released her EP, New Kinda New, and no doubt did she blow my expectations. I fell in love with her first ever album, Unrequited Love, in seventh grade and as extraordinary as it is, there are so many improvements Bethan made to her music that I couldn't be more proud of. For starters, Unrequited Love is rather depressing and though I loved all the songs on there, variety wasn't much a thing whereas New Kinda New expresses a wide array of emotions in every song which is something I feel really important for an artist to do.
   Bethan announced her EP two weeks ago even though she hinted at in multiple videos and I was quick to preorder (there was a signed poster involved, how could you not?) and released the lyric video for "Left To Broken" last week. It featured YouTubers such as Evan Edinger, Nikki and Sammy, Tom Ridgewell, Tessa Violet, and many other lovely lovely people. After the EP dropped on the third, she put out the music video for "Safe Lined" which is also gorgeous and she looks fab in.
   Onto the actual music in this EP, the first track is "Safe Lined" which is rather upbeat and has a simple guitar chord progression but really interesting percussion along with a loud chorus that showcases Bethan's gorgeous vocals. The production value has gone up a couple notches for New Kinda New with backup harmonies that gave the song a bit more personality. The lyrics are somewhat simple but you don't need awesome words to go along with a just plain fun song. Next is "Left To Broken" which has much more emotion that is A+. I like that she doesn't put in the simple rhymes she could have snagged and went with much more interesting message. The instrumental is very minimalistic and that does good for her voice that is killing it. The third track is my all time favorite, "Don't Wake Me Up" because though it has a sad vibe to it, the chorus is loud and beautiful and jaw dropping. The backup vocals are perfect and the entire song is incredibly powerful and strong. Lastly, is "Alright To Be Alright". Don't get me wrong I love Bethan's poppy voice but this has such a jazzy vocal feel that is insane- especially at the pre-chorus, she slays it and performs such a beautiful ballad.
   Overall, I am such a fan of New Kinda New and would recommend it 100%- gold star Bethan.