London-based musician Maddie Ashman’s avant-garde approach to songwriting and composition sets her apart from the rest. ‘Her Side’ is highly individual and experimental, which is welcome in an industry polluted by carbon copy artists emerging daily. But the ambition behind the EP masks a lack of versatility from song to song.
The strongest track here is Seraphim. Vocally, Ashman switches up tempos seamlessly, moving from an angelic sound to a more passionate, balladeering vocal. But its skittering instrumentation keeps it tethered to the underwhelming whole.
Jaded is also strong vocally and Ashman’s lyrics show an air of vulnerability: “Never cry / It’s disappointing when I try / Cold, I’m strong as stone / I stay like this, I can’t get hurt.”
It’s raw and it’s real, but this is the one of the only glimpses of openness we see. Rumours also attempts to offer something different, with building intensity and breakbeats, but as a whole it lacks flavour.
Behind Closed Eyes is expansive instrumentally, but its components don’t complement each other. It feels messy and disorganised, lacking a purpose or direction. Unfortunately, a few vocal flourishes aside, that’s ‘Her Side’ in a nutshell.
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