EP REVIEW: Barbados – Lizzy Farrall

In anticipation for her upcoming support slot with LIGHTS, and a spot at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival, artist Lizzy Farrall dropped her latest EP, Barbados, recently. A far cry from her usual acoustic sound found in her debut EP from last year, is this a change that suits Farrall?

It does, but it is a familiar sound. As in, a sound heard before by a certain trio back in 2017. Yes, the music side to this EP, whilst still impressive, is very reminiscent of After Laughter by PARAMORE. Both are heavily inspired by the 80s sound and New Wave genre, but both are done well musically through the instrumentation. For example, in the final track Make Up Sex, as well as Balloon, the guitar riff is fun and bright, and technically interesting to listen to as there is a lot of skill on display, as well as how soft and ethereal the music can be, making that sense of comfort for the listener at the beginning of the song that wouldn’t last long.

This would be due to the excellent lyrics that contradict the happy feeling from the music. This musical contrast works well to show the lyrics full of pain; this is felt through to the listener from that first word. Some can be very punchy like in Barbados, others just depicting real emotions and scenarios like in Help, and all of these are relatable to the listener. That pain and emotion are especially felt in Games, where Farrall discusses how she doesn’t want her significant other to play these mind games with her.

Overall, this is an impressive EP from Farrall that shows she’s able to progress in her sound and style and deliver a solid amount of songs. Whether this will lead to a full album in the future is hard to say, but for now, Barbados is an impressive EP that hopefully garners her more recognition from the rest of the music industry.

Rating: 8/10

Barbados is out now via Pure Noise Records.

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