Hugo White from 86TVs was responsible for the production of multiple songs on ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’, providing an element of indie rock that is prevalent throughout.
Lyrically, there are themes of mental health, grief and the general hurdles that life throws, where musically, saxophone and intricate riffs are present in nearly all of the tunes.
The EP’s title track is up first, a bright and airy song that is easy to listen to. It acts like an introductory lesson in what to expect from the following songs. Just like the title suggests, it demonstrates that nothing in life will compare to growing up, getting older and grasping life’s tragedies and triumphs. As one of the lead singles, it has already amassed over 107k streams, indicating how many people will resonate with the underlying messages.
Second track ‘Mother’ takes a little bit of time to fully unpack. Following the theme that the title points towards, Fiona-Lee talks about darker subjects, especially those that many of us may unfortunately face. The lyrics follow someone facing a form of abuse, but with versatile wording, she opens it up for listeners to perhaps apply connotations from their own life and experiences. Becoming independent is something that teenagers look forward to, but it is a concept that comes with heights and hurdles of its own. ‘Mother’ emphasises that it is okay to ask for help, even if you need to revert to familiarity and/or a parental figure. Fiona-Lee makes herself vulnerable this way but has successfully created a track that a lot of people will resonate with and even find comfort in, knowing that they’re not alone.
‘Through It All’ and ‘When I Wake Up I’m Sad’ talk of death and grief, two subjects that are often difficult to discuss. They are reflections on life itself, who we are, and those we lose along the way. Fiona-Lee talked previously about losing a friend to suicide when she was 19, and songs like these two really aid in opening conversations about mental health and our attitudes to it. The former track details the troubles of celebrating life and events such as birthdays without a certain person beside you. The latter tune is much more self-reflective in which Fiona-Lee talks about being “afraid of dying” before she “gets a chance to be what I wanted to be”. We all know there’s no strict timeline in life, but when you’re nineteen, it can sometimes feel like you’re running out of time to complete the things you want to achieve.
Penultimate track ‘Lavender’ and closing song ‘To Make Me Feel Good’ both continue the themes that Fiona-Lee has made so poignant. “Love can handle everything,” is a lyric in ‘Lavender’ that encompasses every message mentioned in ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’ as a whole.
Where previous tracks highlight some of the negatives in life, the Yorkshire artist counteracts this with ‘To Make Me Feel Good’. As a final track, it does a great job at pointing out the importance of searching for a positive outlook on life, and within ourselves. She states, “it’s not right to feel so blue”, alongside intricate guitar playing that makes the message stand out clearly.
Overall, ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’ is a very reflective EP and provides many talking points that society still holds stigmas on. At times, Fiona-Lee's vocals are difficult to make out - this could perhaps be because it acts as a physical manifestation of her pain being drowned out by the noise of life, or in this case, the melodies she creates. Even with this, it is still a beautifully balanced EP that demonstrates how dynamic of a songwriter Fiona-Lee truly is.
Morgan Grace Hermiston
@m.g.hermiston
Image: ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’ Official EP Cover
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