★★★★☆
Given her dramatic rise, it’s easy to forget that aside from a handful of singles, Alex Lahey is yet to release a full body of work.
Lahey’s debut EP B-Grade University explores the existential crisis most 20-somethings face, documenting the highs and lows of adulthood.
Opener ‘Ivy League’ arrives via feedback and melodic guitars as Lahey sings about the reality of having to assimilate to the “nine to five heartache”. Her latest single ‘Let’s Go Out’ has an infectious call-to-arms chorus that makes you want to forget what’s bringing you down and embrace the night.
Lahey’s romantic laments are stirring on the song ‘Wes Anderson’, which captures the thrill of being enamoured with someone during the blissful early stages of a relationship. Things aren’t as sweet on ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’, as Lahey and her band deliver a thrilling ode to being rejected. Final track ‘L-L-L-Leave Me Alone’ pulls apart the pretence of an old flame, with Lahey coyly remarking “I heard your new girlfriend kinda looks like me” as she wraps up the EP on a high.
Anyone in their 20s will agree that things never really feel as though they’re going right, but it certainly seems as though Lahey has found herself on the correct path.
Alex Lahey‘s independently releasedB-Grade Universityis available now.
