Indie-pop singer-songwriter Juliana Madrid released her self-titled debut EP, a beautiful compilation of adolescent nostalgia and growing up, on August 19th under Neon Gold. Influenced by her Texan upbringing, her songs are filled with vulnerable lyrics, catchy guitar tunes, and emotional melodies that tell stories of her youth and memories of teenage yearning.
The EP starts with “Pretend”, an indie-alternative track that immediately transports us back to living in suburbia and hoping for something greater than your hometown. It’s a fun song about wanting to let yourself get lost in the moment, and the beautiful lyrics paired with Madrid’s vocals create a truly stunning piece.
The second song “Savior” is an honest look at a failed relationship, paired with parts of her childhood in Dallas. “Used to drive down south, put your fingers in my mouth/ We were drinking, seventeen/ Now it’s rinse, repeat, treat my body so routine/ Did you see it, losing me?” Madrid also adds religious figures and sayings throughout the song, as she does in the entire EP, and it’s another nod to her southern roots that makes everything feel so much more intimate.
The fourth song, “Astronaut”, is the slowest, softest one on the collection, but it’s incredibly impactful and almost ethereal. Madrid uses comparisons like “Well, I love you like I love suburbia” to represent the longing she felt to connect better with someone, even when she knew it was a relationship on the brink of the end. “Astronaut” is also deeply raw, with the indie sensation pointing out her own shortcomings: “I’m selfish as shit and concerned with perception/ How people would think of me now/ A nuance in truth removed for your protection/ Makes it al so one-sided and shrunk down.”
“Madonna”, which accumulated almost half a million streams since its release in February, is Madrid’s call out to her own inability to let go of the past. The EP ends with “Clover”, a nostalgic look back on her younger days while still being hopeful for everything the future will bring. Juliana Madrid EP is a passionate assemblage of tracks filled with relatable nostalgia and compelling lyrics covering every part of what it means to be human.