EP Walkthrough: E^ST goes deep on her new EP, Life Ain’t Always Roses

In the last 18 months, there's been a heavy emphasis on the brilliance of Australian pop music. Late last year, pop-focused Australian site The Interns brought up Australia's "golden pop moment" and how artists such as George Maple, Mallrat and Nicole Millar are all shaping our country's next generation of pop music, while similarly, earlier this year, JUNKEE shouted out acts like Amy Shark, CXLOE, Tkay Maidza and G Flip with a feature of their own. We've also been heavily behind it too, getting behind acts such as experimental pop queen Kota Banks, EMI newcomer Sam Bluer and summerskin star Eves Karydas as they've dominated this year with big, catchy hooks and engrossing productions alike. 20-year-old Australian musician E^ST is an artist well and truly among these ranks as well, with singles such as last year's Life Goes On and a brilliant 2018 three-peat in Blowjob, I Don't Lack Imagination and Alien further introducing us to an artist who can bring together the accessible choruses of commercial radio with the slight indie-feeling of those on the more 'triple j market' - creating an act and a sound that's versatile; she's perfect for both sides of the 'mainstream divide'.

Ahead of a national tour with Kota Banks and Jack Gray - full deets below - the arrival of her latest EP Life Ain't Always Roses showcases the growth of E^ST in the time since her map-placing debut Get Money!, ushering in a musician that is confident, empowering, bold and unapologetically pop - something that would've been a rare find even a few years back. Armed with productions built by M-Phazes, Dann Hume and Japanese Wallpaper, the seven-track release is an honest release that should spotlight her internationally (if she's not already, having signed to the legendary Fueled By Ramen label and repped by a whole heap of international tastemakers) while also placing her amongst our country's best. "Some of these songs were fun to write, others were difficult, some took a lot of thought and others none at all," she says on the release, which you can stream below and grab HERE. "But at the core, every song is super honest and I feel relieved to have written them."

Dive into the EP below with a track-by-track walkthrough from E^ST herself.

ALIEN

This song is about feeling like a weirdo, even when you're doing mundane and normal things. I feel like this a lot. Sometimes that disconnection feels kinda eerie, and I think that feeling and all the talk of aliens bled into the sound of the song, so it all feels a bit spooky.

I DON'T LACK IMAGINATION

I wrote this song in Atlanta, Georgia with a wizard called Oak. We spent the day talking about sci-fi and eating fried green tomatoes, and somewhere in between, we wrote this song. It was really effortless and fun, unlike the subject matter. If you've ever been disappointed by someone you thought you were gonna like, this one's for you.

HEAVEN IN MY MIND

Sometimes when I'm out and about and I'm not having a good time, I'll disconnect from my surroundings and think about funny or cool things, and imagine myself being somewhere else. Probably not a healthy habit, but sometimes life has boring moments and your imagination needs to kick in. This song is about going through that.

BLOWJOB

I wrote this song in London with my friend Jim Eliot, pretty much in the thick of the situation the song talks about. Writing this song was my way of actually processing what the nature of that relationship really was, and helped me realise that it was kinda shit. I hope people don't relate to this song.

PURE

I wrote this song a few years ago, and I was just really damn lonely. I didn't feel like I could trust the people in my life and felt like I was so much more invested in my friendships than my friends were. But FYI I've moved on from a lot of those relationships, and am very lucky to have found amazing and supportive friends very soon after writing this song.

FRIENDS

I was very inspired by songs from the 80s that talked about friendship and wanted to write a modern interpretation of those songs. Check in on your friends, and let them know it's ok not to be ok and that there's always another pair of hands to help. This one is dedicated to my little sister, who is my best friend.

AD BREAK PASTIME

I wrote this song on Garageband and then got my friend Gab (aka Japanese Wallpaper) to take my ideas and make them sound good. I could only trust a close friend with this song, as it's me at my most honest. No one wants to sing about this stuff in relation to themselves, but here we are.

Tour Dates (with Kota Banks and Jack Gray - more deets and tickets HERE):

Sat, November 3 - Howler, Melbourne
Sat, November 10 - Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
Sat, November 24 - Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth*
Thur, November 29 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney

* Kota Banks not playing

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