Sarah Kinsley “Ascension” EP Review
Ethereal. Haunting. Bittersweet.
As I sat down to listen to Sarah Kinsley’s newest EP release “Ascension,” I didn’t expect shivers to run down my spine within the first 20 seconds. Yet there they were, tingling through my neck, and I was instantly hooked for the entire 16 minutes and 17 seconds of the EP. Kinsley, in addition to writing the lyrics for “Ascension” and performing all her own instruments/vocals, also produced the EP herself in its entirety. A persistent advocate for the underrepresentation of female producers in the music industry, Kinsley is paving her own way at 22 years old.
Kinsley opens with the lyric, “I was a child for a minute” as her deep, haunting voice sets the groundwork for the rest of the release. There is something to be said about the range of emotions that Kinsley evokes over the course of the relatively short EP, which is in big part due to the variety in the songs. Kinsley crafted each song to sound individual and recognizable in their own right while still managing to make it all sound cohesive – no easy feat and a mark of a truly talented artist.
Kinsley’s use of the piano in “Ascension” and “Lovegod” stood out to me as a remarkable addition to the EP. Piano is often not heard in indie-pop, let alone plays the central role in a song. It’s refreshing to hear Kinsley utilize her classical training in piano (as well as the violin) and integrate it so beautifully into her music. Her piano skills add a lot of depth and emotion to her songs, drawing the listener in closer.
The first half of the release is livelier; a quickened yet nostalgic beat that made me think of an energy you’d find in a Florence and the Machine song. If “Oh No Darling!” doesn’t make you want to get up and go for a run (which I did upon my 27th listen of the song) then listen to it again and let Kinsley’s haunting vocals take you to another world. As you progress, you’ll find a much more solemn yet just as stirring song in the EP’s namesake, “Ascension.” The spellbinding harmonies are poignant enough to make you take a second and sit with Kinsley in the mournful melody and dramatic piano. “Lovegod” is the standout song of the EP for me, scratching an itch in my brain that makes me feel like I’m levitating in a dreamworld of bright lights and heartbreak. Kinsley’s combination of the piano and synthesizer feel celestial, the bittersweet melody evoking a cosmic sense of loneliness as Kinsley pleads to a “lovegod” to “delay the feeling.” There were multiple mornings where I woke up with this song already stuck in my head, the electrifying synth and forlorn lyrics setting me up to dramatize my life for the day.
Throughout the EP, Kinsley explores what it’s like to experience love with an overactive mind, whether it’s before (“On the eclipse of my mind / Feeling I might lose myself this time”), during (“When we stood so close, I could hear your mind running / With the speed of someone being in love”) or after (“Send me someone, send me anyone / “To kiss away the forces of my mind”). It seems that the person of interest she continuously references is now but a figment of her imagination, a love affair that wasn’t really there. Kinsley doesn’t write with animosity for what once was but rather takes an introspective look at her own mind and how it plays a part in the aftermath.
Kinsley writes with almost a sense of resentment for the naivety of childhood and what it means to grow into your own person as a young adult. Such mature themes are a common thread throughout the EP as Kinsley conveys uncertainty in her identity, in love, and in her own mind with a wisdom far beyond her years. And while it may seem like a lot to cram into five songs, Kinsley does a stellar job of interweaving it all in an effortless and almost scarily relatable way for any young person who is fighting to understand who they are.
Ascension is out now on all streaming platforms. Follow Sarah Kinsley (@sarahkinsleyd) on Instagram to stay up to date with new music!