Taking a leaf out of Maya Lane’s book requires introspection and vulnerability. On ‘Diary of an Overthinker’, she opens up all of the pages to expose her deepest self. The result is an EP filled with wisdom, understanding, and acknowledgement of what it means to be human.
The precedent is set right from the opening line. “Me and my ego are falling out” encapsulates a highly original perspective from which to tell a story of a fraught relationship. ‘Bump Into Me’ contains various contradictions which brilliantly demonstrate the inability to escape the self. Add in a soaring pop production which enables a transcendental quality and the song carries with it a relevance that has the power to affect the listener greatly.
‘Heart for a Heart’ changes tack somewhat, not only in its Americana-style performance but in its thematic resonance. The first of two songs to tackle the issue of heartbreak, it is a revenge song of dramatic consequence. “I’ll follow you home with my lights turned off / and if you’re not alone I don’t think I’ll stop” darkly captures the extent of the hurt wrought in the protagonist that now wants to be let out. It is a far cry from ‘My Friends Were Right’ – a sad and fragile statement whose electrifying chorus consumes the central point that “I’m never going to get love” in this relationship. Despairing acceptance of the situation reigns here, as it does to some degree on ‘Never Be Like Her’. Except comparison is the source of such wrenching emotion. “No matter what I do / she does it better” is as helpless as it is hopeless. The Dido-like sound only contributes to its despondency.
The acoustic rendering of ‘Just a Girl’ belies its disruptive ability. Forget the opportunities for heartbreak mentioned earlier and instead grasp at the possibility of wholeness as an individual. Heteronormative coupledom is replaced by the genuine question “what I gotta fall in love for?” Each line delivers a soft but significant blow to the evangelists of romance; the rustic quality of the chorus assuring and assertive. In contrast, ‘Four Leaf Clover’ holds onto uncertainty, wrapped up in a dreamy piano and bouncy percussion. They speak to a more positive outlook for the future in spite of the hesitancy of the present.
This is what makes ‘24F’ a most suitable ending. For the self-examination within at the start of this EP now happens without. A sense of perspective from above is given which takes life as a whole, with “all the little mountains climbed / and all the lows that made the highs”. When it was originally released as a single, I wrote that “her upcoming EP is going to be one that will speak rather deeply into the hearts of those who listen”. What is perhaps more endearing is that she has delved deep into her own in order to do so.
Her unashamed exploration of humanity from a personal level, complete with thoughtful lyrics and carefully-crafted musical choices, makes ‘Diary of an Overthinker’ (without overthinking it) one of the best EPs of 2024.
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Featured Image (C) Maya Lane
desperatelylostcity.com 