The end of a year can bring about a bit of a stupor; the holidays are imminent, things are coming to a close, and releases are winding down. Sometimes it can take something meteoric to jolt you awake, your attention completely grabbed, the frigid time of year meaningless. That time is right now with Meg Warren’s debut solo EP A Thousand Ways. An alt-pop astonishment coming eight years after the singer’s tenure with her band Repartee, A Thousand Ways is immediate proof that Warren stands strong on her own two feet.
While A Thousand Ways bears sonic similarities to Warren’s other work, it takes a unique shape. The singer’s identity as both a musician and an individual shine brightly through the songcraft and lyricism. Swinging effortlessly from the understated bite of her softer-spoken delivery to the explosive energy of her powerhouse belts, Warren is masterful with her vocals and beckons the listener on the emotional journey of her songs.
Co-produced by Warren and Daniel Ledwell, there is an undeniable character to the production that is as fun as it is enrapturing – a mix of more obvious but extremely effective pop choices with edgy, distinctive flare. Keys with pronounced indie vibes, staggering stacks of vocals, gritty bass, and tight percussion all join together so strongly. The dynamics play out perfectly, most evidently on the track “Bomb.” Grabbing hold with a wave of synth, bringing things down to the simplicity of a piano key, then exploding with life on the choruses, it is a phenomenal opener and just a taste of the brilliant ideas pulled out by Ledwell and Warren.
The tone of many releases throughout the year has been on the more solemn side of introspection, but Meg Warren’s dive into the self burns brightly while laying down hard truths. Track “Wild Woman” is full of swagger and confidence, but also deals with intense feelings of letting oneself down:
“Woke up in January,
The whole year laid out for me,
Kicked off that month with very lofty goals and bigger dreams,
Woke up in late December,
Back where I used to be,
Still, nothing done, I wonder, what’s the missing puzzle piece?”
Warren is clearly tackling a slew of emotions throughout the EP, speaking to her growth as a person and struggling with obstacles in both success and in personal relationships. It’s a super-effective one-two punch, the presentation of the songs endlessly lively but the heart of her words impossible to ignore. And it’s this pressing on, the assuredness despite apprehension, that fortifies Warren’s strength as an artist, and is encapsulated on the triumphant ‘If I Can’t Do It The Way I Want, Then I Don’t Want to Do It at All’.
“God knows that we’re all taught that the
Epitome,
Of humanity,
Looks like youth, and fame, and money,
But you come to find,
That you can make a life,
Just outside the lines,
And still be satisfied”
Meg Warren has captured something special with A Thousand Ways. Looking at her present and towards the future, she’s tapped into an uncertainty we have all harboured for a long while. But, rather than stand still, she has pushed something effervescent forward while still underlying the potent feelings at the core. Warren has taken the long nights of December and blown them away with dazzling fearlessness, showing us that the only way for her is up.