EP Review: Hello, It’s Me Again

Kiwi singer/songwriter Shana Grace welcomes the listener to her debut EP with the words “Hello, it’s me again”. The sound of pages rustling evoke the feeling that you are sitting cross legged on her living room floor as she tells you about her day.

Featuring ostinato guitar parts and hypnotising harmonies, Hello, It’s Me Again showcases a whimsical voice that makes you lean forward so you don’t miss anything. The EP begins with Alarms, a vocally rich piece that uses layers of incomplete lyrics to provoke questions and leave the listener feeling curious.

Shana Grace’s lyrics explore an ongoing conversation with God, and query whether she is known “up there” for her “frequent deviation from (his) plan”. A clear favourite from the EP is the charming Sally, an extended and creative metaphor for the ever present desire to understand the universe, and what our purpose is on this planet. The simplistic instrumental arrangement of the final song Bars allows the mesmerising honesty in her beautiful voice to take centre stage.

There is a feeling of other-worldliness to Shana’s music. This is likely due to the deliberately vague philosophical nature of her content, the poetic lyrics, and her intimate vocal performance. Hello, It’s Me Again reaches into your chest and convinces your heart it’s not the only one that feels lost sometimes. Keep an eye out for her full length album Rinse and Repeat, which will be released on 15 November, 2019 – it’s sure to be just as mesmerising.