EP Review: Summerland

Following her popular June release Summer Royalty, Jessica Leigh proudly offers her second EP Summerland, a sweltering collection of songs telling the story of a doomed summer romance through synth-pop and singer-songwriter stylings.

Summerland opens subtly, with gentle guitar and quiet synths on Met Him At A Party, where Leigh introduces the EP’s vital romance with utmost sincerity. Her lyrics are literal, following a shift from strangers to lovers in visionary detail. Although she claims she is “acting like a child,” her vocals are especially mature. The track is also structurally unusual, following an almost strophic form with a sweet, clear melody, which positions the rest of the EP as the song’s true climax. Lead single Summer Royalty follows, as upbeat and expansive as ever, and now serving as an exciting yet haunting prelude of what’s to come within the wider context of Summerland.

Interlude Summer Swelter features some stunning low vocals, pretty harmonies and promising drums, as well as jittery effects near its close which pique interest. Soft waves close out the song, calling to mind the natural sounds on Lorde’s recent effort Solar Power. By Teenage Romeo, the joyful romance theme is largely worn out. But Leigh keeps the sound inspired with a creative electropop-esque breakdown, building a sure-fire next single from the EP. Closing track Final Bow is comparatively stripped down, with beautiful, gentle acoustic production and melancholy lyrics declaring “it was over from the start” in its vulnerable finale.

Summerland is a largely conceptual EP. It has strong narrative flow, with clever lyrical links between beaches, long drives and evening parties. However, this narrative focus occasionally makes the sonic differences between songs feel abrupt. Its concept is also strikingly similar to the summer-through-winter party Lorde encapsulated in her 2017 album Melodrama. Nonetheless, it’s a heartfelt musical journey of a sophomore effort. Leigh shows promise in the raw emotion and poetic stylings of her songwriting, and Summerland highlights her blossoming storytelling potential, which will surely rise to thrilling heights with further establishment of her sound.