CHARLOTTE - CHARLOTTE LAWRENCE ALBUM REVIEW

At 7 songs long, LA-based artist Charlotte Lawrence's debut EP 'Charlotte' may seem a little short bearing in mind how long we've all been waiting for her debut compilation. However, the small amount of tracks released in one go doesn't take away from the way it packs a punch.

Charlotte begins with 'Talk You Down', a previous release from Lawrence but the fact the song has been heard before doesn't reduce its impact as an opener.

A common theme, it seems, throughout Charlotte is incredibly intense emotional lyrical content, covered with catchy, and borderline upbeat, pop-style sound. This oxymoronic nature of many of the tracks could feel jarring, however, Lawrence balances it well, so it feels much more natural than you may expect.

In the middle of Charlotte, we get some intoxicating borderline ballads tracks that are bordering on ballads. Within these songs is where Lawrence's unique vocals really shine. Her voice is raw and delicate and works perfectly with the songs she's created. 'You' is a piano-based ode to a lover, and Sin x Secret begins is an acoustic confessional about not wanting to be someone's "little secret".

Each song on Charlotte fits into the next, and you would feel comfortable putting the EP on shuffle rather than listening through start to finish every time as the songs all have a consistent sound that doesn't vary too much (and nor does it need to). The heavy basslines are solid through most of the tracks, and in those, it can't be found in, it's Lawrence's haunting vocals that act as a link between. 

The EP closer is 'Why Do You Love Me?' which is the most intense and powerful of all the songs on the album so definitely fulfills its role as a finale. The song describes a toxic relationship, as many songs we listen to now do, however, the performer of the song deems themselves the antagonist rather than the other way round. This spin on a relationship, being aware that you are the hurtful and toxic one and blaming the other for falling for it, is not a narrative we see often in music and particularly in pop, which makes 'Why Do You Love Me?' all the more intriguing. With damning lyrics like "Got to be a lot that's wrong with you/ To want to be with me", you'd think it would be a difficult listen, but it's one of those songs that you can't help but listen to again and again.

Overall, the only real issue with Charlotte Lawrence's EP is that it's too short! The seven tracks showed a huge amount of promise, and get progressively better as it goes on, so it feels like Lawrence is in a place where this EP could have been a fully-fledged album with just a couple more tracks added. This especially stings because of Charlotte Lawrence's pretty large discography of singles. It will be very interesting to see what Lawrence does next, as it seems like she's really getting into her stride and building a very impressive catalogue.