Heiko
Canadian pop-musician and contender for the title of Queen of Pop, Carly Rae Jepsen, has blessed us on Friday with an unexpected yet very pleasant surprise. A new EP called “E•MO•TION: Side B”, to be exact.
After releasing her already brilliant third studio album, E•MO•TION, exactly one year ago, the singer decided that it was time to honor the commercially underrated piece of pop music art by debuting a companion EP. It’s a birthday celebration of a very special kind as all of the featured tracks were, in the beginning, intended to be featured on the original album but then had to be scrapped. But don’t assume that “Emotion: Side B” is any less good because of the fact that it contains unreleased songs. Jepsen actually recorded over 250 songs of album-worthy marterial which she later had to narrow down to 17. In an interview with Rookie Mag, she explained how she fought hard with her record company about how many songs could be put on the album and how many had to go. She loved every one of them so the choice was difficult.
You could therefore simply take this EP as a very special bonus to her previous masterpiece. A continuation, so to say.
In a note Jepsen released on Twitter, the singer further elaborates that she “didn’t think to share them (the songs) until (she) toured”. She explained that she, in the end, decided to do so in order “to give back more of the feelings you (the fans) gave” her.
For you. Love, Car ? https://t.co/vTzW8kRNkF pic.twitter.com/rnRmvcSEgY
— Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen) August 26, 2016
And here we are, one year later, finally getting to listen to the hidden gems. The EP contains eight songs, full of sparkling, glittering eighties-inspired-pop at its best. Some songs are positively bubbly whereas others are dreamy ballads.
“Fever”, “Higher” and “Body Language” are probably the EP’s most uplifting songs and might end up being the soundtrack of your summer. “Roses” and “Cry” are the exact opposite; they are the brightly-shining, understated pop songs that function so well because of their simplicity. The singer also included “First Time” which was first released on her remix EP in March. There is also “Store”, a track about how she leaves her lover by telling him she goes to the store. It is catchy, dreamy, absolutely ridiculous but also very dance-worthy. Since its release, more than a couple of Vine users have published clips with it playing in the background. All of which are currently trending.
So there is something for everyone in Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest release. For starters, it is good, solid pop. The singer has perfected the 80’s sound and incorporated it into the present by making it her own. Her hooks are on point, the songs are catchy, they are sometimes happy and summer-y, sometimes sad and melancholic, but always true to her, as an artist. It is a wonderful mix of different elements and what more can you wish for in an album?
“E•MO•TION: Side B” is now available for purchase and streaming on all digital platforms, if you want to check it out for yourself.
If you want to, you can tweet or comment us your thoughts about Carly Rae’s new EP @CelebMix
