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| Source: @ashleyosborn IG / © Ashley Osborn |
Since I stumbled across We Are The In Crowd in 2014 - and thank God that I did - vocalist Tay Jardine's musical activity has fluctuated throughout the years. Her outward vulnerability and unwavering honesty have allowed her audience to weave through complexities from mental health to being an artist alongside her, cementing a rare and personal relationship between creator and consumers.
From We Are The In Crowd's final release, 'Weird Kids' in 2014, to Sainte's debut, 'Smile and Wave' in 2017, Tay's musical maturity began to bubble at the margin between pop-punk and indie-pop, proving that both the artist and human within her were evolving. Witnessing the transition from We Are The In Crowd's (Tay Jardine, Jordan Eckes, Cameron Hurley, Rob Chianelli, Mike Ferri) spirited, spiky, guitar-laden music to Sainte's (Tay Jardine, Cameron Hurley, Mike Ferri) fluorescent, bubble-gum buoyancy was honestly an enchanting experience, one that resonated strangely with me as Tay's releases appeared to consistently coincide with my tastes and experiences at each given time.
Being fourteen at the time of discovering We Are The In Crowd and seventeen when Sainte was set free to the public, I can't help but feel that the members of each project have played a profound role in stapling each of my life stages with emotive and resonant punctuation. What I'm trying to say is, I have an extremely soft spot for each member of We Are The In Crowd and therefore felt borderline euphoric when Tay announced that Sainte's second EP, 'Bad Summer', was going to drop on the 18th of October.
Being fourteen at the time of discovering We Are The In Crowd and seventeen when Sainte was set free to the public, I can't help but feel that the members of each project have played a profound role in stapling each of my life stages with emotive and resonant punctuation. What I'm trying to say is, I have an extremely soft spot for each member of We Are The In Crowd and therefore felt borderline euphoric when Tay announced that Sainte's second EP, 'Bad Summer', was going to drop on the 18th of October.
Now, at nineteen and entering an extremely testing and evolutionary phase in my life, I pressed play on the EP's opening track, 'Back 2 Me' with the intention of fully immersing myself in whatever state that Sainte had crafted this time around. 'Back 2 Me' was our first taste of Sainte's new life cycle, generating a subtle buzz from the audience in March of this year. Almost a direct parallel to the shifting, mind-fuzzing concoctions of Sainte's prior effort (you can stream 'Smile and Wave' here), this track is more well-rounded; a hazy flourishing of synth-pop that does nothing but complement its smooth lyricism and developed vocal deliveries.
'Everything Makes Me Sad' rolls in next, a sickeningly honest track that bares sprouts of vulnerability and openness without restriction. Conceptual coverage of mental health has always been prevalent in Tay's writing, spanning back to the 2014 release of 'Attention' by We Are The In Crowd and Sainte's 'Lighthouse' in 2017, to name a few - and this doesn't waver here. Tay Jardine's writing has always explored avenues often avoided by mainstream artists - a trait that has elevated her releases, both with We Are The In Crowd and Sainte alike - and in 'Everything Makes Me Sad', she has not shied away from her demons. Rather, she has painted them in a charming teal and placed some sunglasses on their heads, crowning this track the most refreshingly honest depiction of mental health in music that I think I've ever heard.
Swimming in the midst of the release is 'Tough to Love', our first fragment of new entirely fresh material since the aforementioned singles. The stylism in this effort is as fluid as its aesthetic, as 'Tough to Love' is arguably the most contemporary on 'Bad Summer' entirely. The verses plod atop pulsating synths and shuttling instrumentation (kudos to Cameron and Mike, by the way - their ability to mould instruments to enhance the vibes of any given track is commendable) and yet again, Tay's lyricism refuses to paint some kind of desirable facade. Each track takes a stand, one that cannot be ignored - the juxtaposition between the lyrical content and blooming melodics are statements in themselves.
Distorted jumbles entice 'Don't Disappoint Me', introducing another unknown in a spell-like fashion. The guitars are salient in this track, courtesy of Cameron Hurley, as they flicker and sparkle amongst the inherently poppy chorus and bless the track with a joyous bounce. The bridge provides a momentary sanctuary for the listener, mirroring the audible effects of plunging underwater and having the track lilt around you. For some reason, 'Don't Disappoint Me' carried undertones heavily reminiscent of 2017's 'Eyes Are Open' through my first listen. I guess it was the gleeful portrayal of the increasing maturity of the artists in question, or maybe it was just because I'm a sucker for anything these guys put out and experience something inexplicable when I pick apart their tracks. Either way, this is one of my favourites. So bouncy.
'Everything Makes Me Sad' rolls in next, a sickeningly honest track that bares sprouts of vulnerability and openness without restriction. Conceptual coverage of mental health has always been prevalent in Tay's writing, spanning back to the 2014 release of 'Attention' by We Are The In Crowd and Sainte's 'Lighthouse' in 2017, to name a few - and this doesn't waver here. Tay Jardine's writing has always explored avenues often avoided by mainstream artists - a trait that has elevated her releases, both with We Are The In Crowd and Sainte alike - and in 'Everything Makes Me Sad', she has not shied away from her demons. Rather, she has painted them in a charming teal and placed some sunglasses on their heads, crowning this track the most refreshingly honest depiction of mental health in music that I think I've ever heard.
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| Source: 'Tough to Love' Official Music Video by Sainte |
Distorted jumbles entice 'Don't Disappoint Me', introducing another unknown in a spell-like fashion. The guitars are salient in this track, courtesy of Cameron Hurley, as they flicker and sparkle amongst the inherently poppy chorus and bless the track with a joyous bounce. The bridge provides a momentary sanctuary for the listener, mirroring the audible effects of plunging underwater and having the track lilt around you. For some reason, 'Don't Disappoint Me' carried undertones heavily reminiscent of 2017's 'Eyes Are Open' through my first listen. I guess it was the gleeful portrayal of the increasing maturity of the artists in question, or maybe it was just because I'm a sucker for anything these guys put out and experience something inexplicable when I pick apart their tracks. Either way, this is one of my favourites. So bouncy.
'Saving Up', oof. This track feels like the most pungent culmination of Sainte's development and exploration until this moment. Caramel vocals layer across clicks and ripples and pops and incite an untamable urge to move. Even if it is just my head, even if I just mean that I can't sit still while writing this. The bass in this track lingers (thanks, Mike), plugging the music up and down in spikes as the countless musical elements lace together perfectly and my restlessness simply increases.
Granted, I may have somewhat of a bias. Granted, Tay, Cameron, and Mike have an unmatchable soft spot in my heart. Granted, there was a stellar chance that I was going to dote on this release, regardless of its technicalities or what genre-mash it consisted of. But it truly is one of the most solid EPs I've ever immersed myself in.
From front to back, it is stunning, and I am so proud of the musicians that Sainte have blossomed into today - not that I didn't love the old We Are The In Crowd days, of course I did, and still do; it is Sainte's origins that were the initial paints in this evident masterpiece, after all. I love every aspect of this EP and remain stunned that 'Bad Summer' manages to slot so nicely into my life, joining 'Guaranteed to Disagree', 'Best Intentions', 'Weird Kids', and 'Smile and Wave' on the shelves in my brain. Onto somewhere with a pool and a blushed sun, I guess?
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| Source: Genius |
