Release Date: October 7, 2022
Genre: Pop
Label: Little Bell Music
The Los Angeles-based -and self-described sensitive pop artist- Lulu Simon is back with her brand new EP, Muscle Memory. Simon's Muscle Memory EP is the follow-up to her self-titled debut EP, which was released in the summer of 2019. Simon has been destined down a path of music since her sixth birthday when she blew out her candles and wished that she wrote "Lucky" by Britney Spears, and even then, both of her parents -Edie Brickell and Paul Simon- are musicians as well. With these five brand new songs, Simon showcases quite the maturity in her always-evolving songwriting, and it also pairs with her evolving sound. The Muscle Memory EP was produced by many different producers, such as Alex Koste (Faouzia, Loote, Enhypen), Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Ashe, Wet), and Griffin Emerson (Amy Allen).
Lulu Simon's new six tracks featured on Muscle Memory feature lyricism that tackles a range of melancholy topics of self-reflection in a handful of songs she wrote throughout the pandemic and are all autobiographical. "All In" is a song about "serving and slaying" with her best friends, taking no prisoners, and going all in. "Something" is about romanticizing a past relationship to the extent that you're not fully ready to let it go, but you're also not putting your life on pause, waiting for it. "Driftwood" tackles the feelings of being disconnected and unmoored and wishing you didn't feel that way. "Already The End" describes the grief of losing your best friend. Whereas the final track on Muscle Memory, "Being Alone is the Best," is a song about getting out of all sorts of unhealthy relationships and how isolated you can become in them.
Sonically, Simon pushes her sound forward from what she dabbled in on her past EP. Simon does take a little bit of a risk with a change in sound, but it was beneficial to make these songs strike listeners harder than they would've been with just her and an acoustic guitar. "All In" is a full-blown synth-pop number as her lustrous falsetto vocals soar over bright synths and ruminative melodies. "Something" is a brooding and atmospheric pop track, which features mesmerizing instrumentals and the use of several layers of instruments to add further depths to the tune. "Driftwood" is built upon Simon's staple folk-pop sound. Simon and her acoustic guitar shine with layers of heart-pounding drums and bouncy synth. "Already The End" features something sonically almost straight from Simon's past -a straight forward acoustic composition that is quite the juxtaposition to its sombre and emotional lyricism. Following suit as "Already The End," Simon goes back-to-back with another gloomy acoustic track, "Being Alone is the Best." The stripped-back and subtle approach brings the song's words to the forefront and gives them a big punch. It's clear that despite Muscle Memory having a forlorn narrative, Lulu manages to make even the most lamentable of songs sound beautiful and upbeat, and when she needs to, she has no issue writing a gloomy and slow number. You can stream Lulu Simon's Muscle Memory EP now on all digital streaming platforms now.