by Jade Winings (@jadewinings)
Samira Winter's anticipated EP ...and she’s still listening released via Everything Blue Records and has left listeners wanting more of the niche alternative sounds of the 90’s. Her first release had contained innocence and expressed willingness to see nothing but the light as the tracks since have become increasingly open to exploring complex emotions, creating sentiment for everyone to relate to. Winter claims the lyrics within ...and she's still listening are written from a perspective of a female character that she considers an “extension of her,” an exploratory writing process that could be seen as a unique tool to translate a continued healing journey from the subconscious. Whether the writer intended for this or not, Winter leaves listeners to sink into honest emotion through spoken word and trip-hop beats.
Winter’s single “The Lonely Girl” debuted the EP, a track fitting perfect description of what it is like to cling onto any identity of yourself in isolating periods. Holding onto pain to seek comfort in the mental state you find yourself in is easier to comply with rather than finding the path to shift perspectives. The writing style allows us to perceive every personal experience to be as significant as it may be, displaying the parallels of emotional, spiritual, and physical experiences theoretically happening at once. The track could be written about a singular personal experience, but there is also the possibility of an even deeper meaning of wanting to understand and have compassion for the people’s footsteps you are trying not to follow, thus allowing the opportunity to understand one's own self more. There’s a tear-jerking relatability to wanting the best for the main character, with an outlook on healing our inner child that allows the song to be more than a suitable starting track for ...and she’s still listening.
The seductively grungy “Sallow” followed as the second single and is paired with a music video nostalgic of Portishead and Sneaker Pimps visuals, encompassing an overall mysterious atmosphere musically and visually. ...and she’s still listening also highlights the EP’s elements of pop with the feature of “shaniatwainlovestory”. The punchy beats enhance the hurt behind the honesty inspired by a wounded heart, and upbeat synths embrace confidence behind intentional words. The entirety of the emotional journey the EP sweeps onto you is concluded with the hypnotizing “anything at all,” which could be chosen as a song to describe life’s journey to be special regardless of emotional and physical obstacles, as tragedy even seems to be a remarkable human experience. Winter’s discography is worth diving into for the experience of feeling and observing the artist's continued internal and external growth, listeners should be excited to experience the future lessons Winter is to express to us as her creativity does not seem to take a rest.