Paralysed
Zoë Phillips
After releasing a run of singles that saw her featured on various big name radio shows, such as BBC’s introducing, and their Radio 1 extra show, Zoë Phillips returns with her eagerly anticipated EP release, Paralysed. Dancing along the lines between Indie and Pop, she pulls together five tracks that pull you through various emotional states and showcase Zoës songwriting ability and vocal range.
Opening with the track ‘Figured It All Out’ Zoë creates a tone that will continue on through the rest of the songs. Coming in, the track holds an almost positive and uplifting melody, picked out on the piano. However as the track goes on and Zoës vocals begin, a more bitter sweet element is weaved into the track. ‘….If we lived it all twice, is there an end?….’ a single line that nicely expresses the message beneath the music, a message that speaks to that sense of wanting to find reasons to continue with something, while at the same time, finding it hard to face the reality of maybe it isn’t worth continuing.
Following this track, and complimenting the theme comes the title track of the EP, ‘Paralysed’. Much like the opening track it carries a sense of frustration at the indecisions faced by everyone throughout their lives, and a hope that one day we will find a way out of it, ‘….A path to follow….’. Musically it carries a more guitar centred feel, and creates a more impassioned landscape, especially as the song builds towards the end, seeming to mirror the frustration felt by the narrator in the song.
‘Numb’ also continues the more Indie side of Zoës writing but is more of a positive song, in the way it carries a message of, don’t give up,
the world may seem tough at this moment, but like you were there for me, I’m there for you. ‘….I won’t let you fall….’ A sentiment a lot of us are trying to express to those around us who may be struggling during this current climate of uncertainty. The song also allows the lyrics to take centre stage by minimising the instrumental background, keeping it simple, yet effective.
The final two tracks on the EP both swing more towards the Indie/Pop side of Zoës writing, creating two upbeat, driving tracks that combine an honest openness with a catchy hook. Both deal with the feelings you can have towards someone in a relationship. While ‘Love is Gone’ deals more with the feeling of questioning the feelings that either you or your partner may, or may not have anymore towards each other, ‘Hideaway’ deals with the instinct to suppress feelings for someone else, or to feel uncertain as to what those feelings mean and rather than face them, you push them down and try to ignore them.
Overall, the EP takes on a range of viewpoints and emotions that are relatable on multiple levels to multiple people. Despite the somewhat bittersweetness of many of the tracks, it carries an overwhelming positive message, that things can only get better, and that though facing reality can be hard, it will be the best thing to do to help you move on with your life.
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