Rising artist THALA is finding strength in her vulnerability on new EP ‘In Theory Depression’ set for release on 7th July on Fire Records. Today she reveals new track and video ‘Easy Out’ from the forthcoming release.
Forging a path in hazy, lo-fi indie, this release is home to her sharpest, boldest songwriting yet, rendering these deeply personal explorations of self in vivid, ‘90s influenced indie-rock, and looming, psych-inspired walls-of-sound.
Written in the early hours of the morning, still buzzed from a night out and letting her thoughts tumble out onto paper, ‘Easy Out’ takes a similarly nuanced approach to empathy and healing. The track processes her anger with someone close who hid the fact they were gravely ill to try and spare their loved ones from sharing their pain. Recalling the tangled indie-rock of Holly Humberstone, Soccer Mommy, and Phoebe Bridgers, and underpinned by spiky, surging guitars, it unearths tenderness, even as it rages.
“I wrote ‘Easy Out’ about someone who got really sick and didn’t bother to tell me, I eventually heard it from someone else and it made me super angry… so I got a bottle of wine, sat on my windowsill in my small apartment one night and started writing a sobby sad ballad of a song. The next day at the studio that sadness turned into anger and it became a powerful upbeat type of song, I think it was supposed to be that way. I love this song and it really helped me move past this anger and confusion I was feeling.” Adds THALA
The new EP sees THALA dredging up the feelings she’d tried hard to bury before. As the usual bustle of her hectic everyday life was silenced, she filled that space with songwriting, delving deep into the complicated feelings she had previously left to somewhere deep within herself.
‘In Theory Depression’ marks the artist’s most introspective writing yet, but as much as these incisive lyrics excavate from hidden depths, they’re often paired with widescreen, cinematic-sounding melodies. It brings to mind both the dazzling soundscapes of Mazzy Star, the witty bite of Liz Phair, and the subtle punk influences of Juliana Hatfield, who also spins the genre’s more relentless strains into snarling and bittersweet alternative pop.
THALA has just wrapped up a joint UK tour in support of Independent Venue Week–alongside her Fire Records labelmates Amber Arcades and Hater –along with a debut at Austin’s SXSW and Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival. Having already won the backing of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, Wonderland Magazine, and Clash, ‘In Theory Depression’ is her most exposed and creative work to date.
LIVE DATES
20 Jul: Jazzopen, Schlossplatz, Stuttgart, Germany
w/ Paolo Nutini & Parov Stelar
‘In Theory Depression’ (Out 7th July) is available on LTD Edition Transparent Splatter Vinyl & Standard White Vinyl
