A Review of Sirota’s Debut EP: ‘Grey’
Brooklyn-based independent singer/songwriter Sirota melds together pop, R&B, a soulful voice and intricate lyrics to produce smooth and intoxicating music, influenced by everyone from Rex Orange County to Carole King. A recent college graduate making her first steps into the industry, 21-year-old Sirota (otherwise known as Isabella Sirota) is dedicated to advocating for the mental wellbeing of young creators. And, via her music, she aims to encapsulate the dramas and difficulties they may have faced while navigating their early twenties.
Her debut EP, Grey, fittingly produced by Bloom Productions of Philadelphia, contains six gorgeously hazy tracks. Recently released on May 21st, the project establishes Sirota’s lyrical mission to draw on the trials of early adulthood and places her in a promising position at the very beginning of her musical career. Given its coverage of rocky relationships, self-growth and the exciting, chaotic energy that comes with being twenty-something, Grey is ideal listening for people in that demographic.
This experimental age and subject translates into the experimentalism of the EP itself. As each song sensitively tracks the transitional time from teens to twenties. Smooth and velvety yet injected with electricity, surprising moments and an urban feel, Grey is meticulously built to form just over twenty minutes of organised, creative and enjoyable chaos. It’s fun and eclectic but held beautifully together by Sirota’s soft yet powerful vocals.
The first song on the EP, ‘Sound in the Room,’ opens with a cartoon, almost Tweety Pie-like version of Sirota’s voice reciting poetic words about relationships falling apart, waiting and loneliness. Sirota’s own voice then comes in, backed with pain and bringing reality to light with a rawness and sensitivity. From the offset, we hear about separation and breakups, a theme that runs throughout the EP. Lines like: “Said your name aloud till it was just sound in the room” in-still a message of isolation and turn someone from a person to a sound. These lyrics, coupled with the robotic voice at the start, let a process of de-humanisation occur with the idea that we can never really know people. They can be fake and often aren’t what they seem to be.
Songs such as ‘Must Be Nice’ juxtapose cheerful harmonies with grittier lyrics to imply the downward spiral of a relationship. In: “Honey, I’m sorry, I don’t sympathise anymore.” Sirota signifies that she plans to let go of negative things she’s put up with at the hands of others and is stepping into her power. In the end, a lot of the EP is about prioritising yourself and leaving relationships that don’t benefit you behind, an action that is inevitable for the majority of young people.
A stand out track, ‘Matches’ definitely catches your attention mid-way through the EP. It starts with staccato strings that easily sound like something from Bridgerton but with a more violent, accented twist complementing the smooth legato of Isabella’s voice and clashing to create a hopeful sound. “Play with your matches” continues this theme of childishness and, “building castles in the sky’ emphasises the positive but slightly delusional feelings that can arise even in the direst of situations. With these lyrics, Sirota presents the side of a relationship falling apart when a tiny part of you still thinks it’ll pull through, and the hope of it reels you back in. The words are spoken in a style that borders on rap, and they are sometimes accompanied by brass instruments, giving ‘Matches’ a truly unique sound. Which is furthered when Sirota says: “Oh my God” and we hear echoes of laughter in the background, confirming that the song is a fun one about hope, disbelief and frustration all at once.
Near the conclusion of the EP, ‘My Way’ with its cheerful, summery vibe leaves us with a positive feeling. It takes the previous song’s thought process and gains clarity. Sirota sings: “I want to do it my way.” Empowering us to do the same as listeners and bleeding into the final track. The EP ends on its namesake, ‘Grey.’ The song brings back the distorted voice from track one and explores empowerment further to reach a calm and self-assured state. It’s much more chill than the rest of the songs that make up the second half of the project and allows the EP to simmer out gently with its core message in mind.
Ultimately, Sirota takes us on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through the loss and disintegration of a relationship in her debut EP. But, mostly, she has captured the feeling of youth and formed a carefully crafted narrative which many going through similar things will find relatable.
Grey is available to stream everywhere now. It’s the perfect listen, and, especially if you’ve spent the past couple of weeks listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR on a loop, you’re likely to love it!
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Follow the links below to listen to Sirota and to learn more about her work.
by Lauren Burns (editor)
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