Life isn’t always sunshine and roses. It sometimes comes with mental health struggles, processing of pain, and endings that aren’t always happening. This roundup shares stories of 4 femme musicians, all of whom have experienced or are experiencing their own struggles, and it’s here to provide solace to anyone who may be struggling.
Della Vonne – Anxiety, Baby!
‘Anxiety, Baby’ is a synthy pop track with deep bass tones and a hectic flow, which plays into a lyrical narrative of anxiety. The vocals definitely carry this track, and they use a cinematic instrumentation that evolves as things move along, as the perfect backdrop. They’re dynamic in the way that they’re produced and mixed, jumping between soft rhythmic tones and louder, more chanted moments. The chorus adds more to the synths as the vocals pick up, with a chant of, “That’s called anxiety, baby / mixed with just a little touch of OCD lately.” When the narrative is put together, it does well at telling a story of what it’s like being anxious and not feeling like one fits into society due to their struggles.
Zara Haines – What Happens Next?
‘What Happens Next’ benefits from its gorgeous piano backdrop and foreground vocals that display a lot of emotion in their sound. Though the piano and vocals take up most of the mix in the beginning, there are synths, guitars, and backing harmonies that jump in as things move along to fill things out. This track has a phenomenal mix that utilizes the stereo to fully pull listeners into its atmosphere. It also has an awareness of how it flows, delivering punchy upticks in energy that fall back into softer moments to deliver more emotion. Another place where this track is strong is its dynamic rhythm, which makes sure everything is interesting from start to finish. In terms of lyrics, it comes from the perspective of someone in love with another who’s back and forth on commitment, and it captures how that can mess with someone’s mental health.
Samantha Davis – The Last Time
‘The Last Time’ is similar to the indie pop sound of ‘What Happens Next?’ with its prominent piano and strong vocal delivery. That being said, it works a bit more with a drive in the bass as a lead, and the percussion does well at maintaining the pacing and dashing in a smooth rhythm. Once again, this track delivers an emotional punch. It seems to pull listeners into its sway, and once it does so, it follows up with a narrative of finding strength through one’s emotions. ‘The Last Time’ has some reverb-heavy backing vocals that build into a feeling of deep thought, the lyrics seeming to float in the atmosphere. Lyrically, it comes from the perspective of someone who’s been caught in a wishy-washy relationship and is finally finding the strength to move forward.
Kay Onishi – Behind it All
‘Behind it All’ once again puts pianos in the forefront, alongside guitars, bass, and percussion, as things move forward, to deliver a sound that’s loaded with feelings. This track has a laid-back pace, which gives a lot of focus to the emotional narrative. The vocals start with a really sweet softness, aided by soft snap-laden percussion alongside slow-moving guitars and piano. They have a breathy tone to them, but they’re still delivered with absolute clarity in the mix. At about a minute, the vocals start to get louder and fade back into softness before breaking into strong belts. The instrumentation also fills out well, especially toward the end, which plays into a slow build toward a climax just before the end. ‘Behind it all’ lyrically captures the narrative of an ending that wasn’t happy, which is the reality of life. It’s about being brave after an ending and finally letting go of hope, but in a way that brings freedom after a struggle.
Written by Sage Plapp
Cover image by Isaac Mitchell
