Singer-songwriter Phia Moore, just released her thought-provoking, imaginative sophomore EP, which delves into her internal and unique ‘monsters’ in her head through each song, providing a persona for those emotions introspectively in the process. One that really brings the forefront of the power of song writing authentically in connecting with listeners and helping herself and the listeners into reflecting on those emotions, and amplify delves into each track further to show such an introspective and beautiful EP.

The first track is, ‘monster’, in which it immediately signals the meaning of the EP, important to set the tone of the record. “When I was 14, someone asked me what I most feared and I lied cause how could I tell them I’m most scared of me”…”I see monsters”, are opening lyrics that exemplify this further, understanding the concept of the rest of the record and set listeners up for the style and her lyricism, which is captivating, as well as her tone being focused and strong. In this track, the ‘monster’ personifies how she views herself in the mirror in life, and that association with negativity and fear which represents the metaphor of a monster to be used in this way. As the track builds in production, the backing vocals surround and grow louder with each lyric, almost like she is suffocating with these thoughts, reaching the explosive contrast, ‘I’m me, I’m here, there’s nothing to fear’, with a slight change in a higher tone, almost feeling free. It is a repeated lyric, which can be viewed as an affirmation to Phia and her validating herself and overcome these thoughts – with her incredible lyricism to convey such vulnerability. The way Phia is able to flow into each lyric as if she is reading out her journal, keeps to that authenticity in song writing and is an incredible technique that keeps throughout this work.

Following this into ‘people pleaser’, which transitions into another situation and emotion she faces internally, ‘people-pleasing’. Throughout, she keeps audiences aware of the specific meaning and interpretation of each song by the title and starting points, but also using further creative analogies to relate it back to, to help the listeners connect and further feel like each track is a diary entry. “It’s like a tug of war, courtroom battle in my mind, back and forth between your needs and mind’, which sums up such a complex feeling in a more than accurate way – which is something i see artists like Taylor Swift do in song writing to encapsulate a deeper emotion in a more descriptive manner, that I find myself and other listeners having a deeper understanding of the track. Again, there is a strong build in production mixed with a more acoustic start with repeated lyrics, ‘give and give and give’, solidifying a feeling of trying to escape with the raw, stunning vocals building alongside it. As a people pleaser, you tend to give a lot to other people to meet their needs to be sure you are on a good term with everyone, despite not always matching your own needs.

’19’ follows this, with all these tracks I find flowing cohesively in sound, even if the songs can contrast each time, as that is the nature of the songs personifying different, individual ‘monsters’. This is seen as a reflective, introspective moment, ‘been about a year since I turned 19’, ‘every year feels out of reach’, following different questions you have as you grow into young adulthood as everything around you tends to change, as well as questioning yourself and your future. This impending feeling alongside the stronger guitar in production, can emphasise that, ‘maybe that’s what it means to be 19’, follows after these lyrics asking questions, to solidify that the unsure nature of this age and this time, is the meaning of growing up. An important song to take for her listeners, focusing on different situations she faces, but also inevitable situations everyone deals with at different times, but as a monster, can come across you in the shadows at some point.

There is a shift in the record from this point on, the first few songs focusing on herself and her internal emotions in how she perceives the world to themes of heartbreak in the next couple of tracks, with still that level of introspection into herself too. ‘Loose Ends’, seems to view Phia’s independence in life, and that idea of forgiving and not forgetting how other people contributed to the mistrust you may feel in certain individuals, and the ‘loose ends’ – may be reflective of certain areas of your emotions that you have not fully delved into. “I know I’ve earned your praise, but have I earned your love… you need to know you’ll always have my love, these ends just can’t be tied.” I find the vocals more of the focus in this track, with an anger in her tone, emphasised by the backing vocals and echo on the words ‘praise’ and ‘love’. The analogy of ‘these ends just can’t be tied’, and the focus of learning how to tie a knot works well with this understanding that those actions won’t remove how that has affected her as it moves through life, but still feels the love for someone because of the complication. Phia does a beautiful job at using analogies and metaphors to grow these personas further, and give the record more depth, tapping into her creativity.

Then, there is a focus on how she views heartbreak now, ‘I believe in heartbreak’ repeated, and a captivating introduction to this track, with this style differing from the rest of the track, almost like a voice memo recording. There is an understanding that this internal monster focuses on how she has dealt with this huge undertaking. ‘If I’m broken, If I’m numb, I know, I’m not the only one, ‘When my heart sinks, I will be bound to follow it down’. Then further towards the end, ‘I believe in heartbreak, maybe that’s a mistake, I guess it’s a risk that I’ll just have to take’, is a meaningful way to view her heartbreak and those deep emotions, knowing other people go through it as well, and it is not only important to feel those emotions and process them, but to be aware of it and believe in it, so you can accept the love that will follow in the future. It is interesting to me that as the EP progresses, and the songwriter is discovering her emotions further using this personification, she also has a reminder and an understanding that those emotions and scenarios make up who she is as an individual, and I think will help listeners feel heard, which is such an important part of putting music out there in the world.

I find it interesting that it follows, ‘half-empty’ after that track, as she speaks of herself as a ‘glass half-empty’ which has a negative connotation, but still keeps with that airy, light production that feels positive and reaffirming. ‘I’m thinking there might be a way to let my fingers uncross’, is one of the lyrics that speaks to why there is a lighter production, although the songwriter is writing in this way and understanding this, she still is allowing love to come into her life, making sure that idea of half glass full and half empty as a way for listeners to understand it, but relaying it in a more descriptive and interesting way. The track ends with ‘I’ve been trying to look on the bright side (I’m half empty)’, which can show that inner conflict within oneself.

Ending with a strong track, with a calming production surrounding it, ‘autumn’s broken pieces’, finding symbolism between the weather and heartbreak; ‘Everything’s a reminder, the wind whispers your name’, and the leaves falling at this time of year, and how sometimes the leaves fall early, similarly to heartbreak coming sooner than one may think, and how it can break you before you are ready to grow further. Throughout this EP, and this track especially, I really love Phia’s unique ability to take her artistry and songwriting to the next level within this symbolism, adding meaning to the title track, ‘you left autumns’ broken pieces for me to hold’, describing someone leaving and picking up the pieces behind them. After some incredible vocals at the end, there is a more stripped back, acoustic section of the track, with a male voice singing in a raw, meaningful tone. He repeats the later part of the track, ‘there are no sad angel songs’, and one may say it is showing a dual perspective from a man and a woman in this situation and what each other thinks, and I love when artists are able to do this as it adds so much depth to a song, almost like you are watching a film between those few minutes. The way the track ends sounds like the ending of a recording, conveying the raw emotion of it, like he is just in the studio with a guitar or in his own bedroom. I find when music can be stripped back enough like this, it can create more authenticity in the song writing, and therefore, connect with the listeners further. I also noticed the link to a previous song of hers,’ September’, where she again, symbolises the weather and months, as heartbreak and healing and I love that she reverts back to that – whether that be the intention or not. Overall, a meaningful EP, with such cathartic, beautiful lyricism that is one to definitely listen to. If you are a fan of artists such as Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Noah Kahan, you will definitely love what this artists is creating.

Phia has described that “this project is a mirror. It forces me to look at my own inner monsters that are sometimes scary, and yet also make me who I am…I hope it gives listeners a chance to look in their own mirror and feel as though they aren’t alone.” I understand deeper as I learn about this singer, that her artistry comes from a very visual standpoint, as clear within her cover art of different cartoon-like monsters, with different colours, on the EP cover, showing their visual identities and further world-building, as well as her ability to compose by ear. Currently, the singer studies childhood development at CSULB which fuels her artistry as the carefree and imaginative nature of children can widen her perspective within song writing, and links well to the theme of this body of work, processing emotions in a creative manner.