EP Review: Bonnie Kemplay - 'Running Out Of Things To Say'
Her first full length big project since being signed by Dirty Hit, this EP is the start of really great things for Bonnie Kemplay.
While her home is in Edinburgh Bonnie Kemplay has been putting her stamp down all over this year. From supporting Adele and Bleachers to being snapped up by the same agency who manage the 1975, it is incredible to see everything she has achieved this year. This debut EP, “Running out of Things to Say, Running out of Things to Do ” is a introspective look at everything that has happened over the last three years. A formative period for the young artist, Bonnie takes us on a journey through her experiences with everything from emotional depths to euphoric highs.
The EP opens with Winter, a track which seems fitting for an autumn release. The instrumentals on this one are nothing short of dreamy; the sweet guitar against a simple piano melody is effortlessly soft and gentle, with the background sounds of morning birds taking you to a different world. There’s a real honesty and rawness to them which is stunning for an opening track; Bonnie is giving us her in the most authentic and genuine way. She is laid bare, no synth pop effects or wild beats to hide behind and that vulnerability is really special to see. As her beautiful vocals come in, the music swells alongside her into the climax:
‘Is the weather all we’ve left to talk about these days? These days. It’s weighing on me, I’m starting to feel like I can’t breathe. Everything’s changed, I know you don’t feel the same, but when did I have to lose my friend?’
As the seasons change, Kemplay can no longer play along with a relationship that too has become cold. The iciness she feels from her partner reflects the environment around her and as the song comes to an uncertain and somewhat unresolved and, we are left wondering what happens. It’s a brilliant track to start the EP and really sets the tone for everything to come.
Next is 19 which opens with a brightness to it that gives a semblance of spring after the frost has all thawed. It’s clever that Kemplay chooses the line “I woke up” to open the track, it is as though she has come back to the world after a period of isolation and hibernation and the sun has come out with her. The references to May cement this picture in your head, and as the verse continues Bonnie talks about how she is trying to busy herself to make the loss from the winter fade. She explains that she is trying to focus on herself and is working on growing-she is ignoring the news because she knows it does her no good. Whether this is a comment in reflection of the constant stream of bad news and difficult headlines which came with the pandemic or potential news about her ex is uncertain, but it is a feeling we all can empathise with and recognise. There’s a really beautiful recurring line in which Kemplay simply says “I can’t believe in change until I see it”; it is thought provoking and also can act as a call to action to both others and herself to be the change they want to see in the world. Following the sadness of the first track, this one comes with a really lovely hopefulness and need for change which give a fuller picture of who Bonnie is as a person.
Checkers is the third track and continues the lovely instrumentation of the previous tracks. There is something very intimate and immediate about the way she plays guitar and she goes through complicated rhythms and chords with such effortlessness that gives the instrument an organic feel to it - so much more than just an inanimate object, the guitar becomes an extension of Bonnie herself and is just another means by which she can communicate her emotions. This track is a real showcase of her musicianship and vocal abilities, she alternates between her low and high register with such ease and melodies which some singers would struggle with just feel natural. The whole track exudes smoothness and fluidity; the music just seems to come out of her and it becomes clear that this is something she was just born to do.
Song 4 is the gorgeous ‘Static’, one of the singles released in anticipation of the EP. It is a recount of a horrible injury Kemplay sustained which stopped her from being able to play live. In her own words, she articulated that she wrote the track during a time when she felt “hopeless and uncertain of where or even if I’d recover”. The instrumentation and melodies of this track have a repetitive nature to them which reflect the nature of her injury - the guitar line in particular remains consistent and constant throughout before finally resolving at the end, a direct reference to the anxiety and concern she felt about whether or not she would be able to play again. Bonnie talks about how she is “drawing circles on her floor”, suggesting that while she is trying to create something new and original all she is able to come up with is the same as before. She feels stuck and isn’t able to go anywhere both physically nor with her music. The sound effects of technical static dappled throughout the track are a very nice touch and further emphasise the stagnant state Bonnie finds herself in. The chorus is bold and the vocal line has an augmented quality to it; Bonnie has become the robotic static she is describing and therefore isn’t able to create the art she loves. Towards the end after she asks to be “switched on and off again” we are given glimpses of her real unaltered voice, showing that after this period of flux we are coming back to the real Bonnie again.
The penultimate song is “Blushing”, one of the softest and most emotional on the EP. We are returned to the same kind of energy which we had in the beginning of the track but rather than cold, there is just a sense of pain and not knowing where to go with things.
“It’s not that you’re bad, it’s not that I’m good. It’s just we don’t balance each other out like we should. Don’t want to talk about it.”
There is anguish in this track as Bonnie reflects on how her partner used to make her feel; rather than reminiscence and looking back with a fondness there is a real ache and palpable sadness to how she sings. This is echoed fantastically by the instrumentation which is delivered with desperation and immediacy. The shifts from loud and big guitar lines into very soft piano emulate the sense of loss she is experiencing and encapsulate everything from the magnitude of her pain to the way she feels small and fragile after the breakup. Towards the end though there is a sense of her trying to move forwards with herself as she explains that she just wants to forget and work on herself.
The final track is Bonnie at her most authentic. The opening line “Fed up of this shit” sets the scene for the rest of the track as she explains that the time has come for her to be true to herself. This song is where the title of the EP comes from - Kemplay talks about how she needs to confront her past in order to move on with things, an idea which is perfect for the last song on EP. She is going over everything she has endured these last few years and is digging everything up again so that she can sow her own seeds and can build a garden of her own making.
Given everything she has been able to put out and achieve this year, there is really no stopping Bonnie Kemplay from rising to superstardom in the new year. This album is a chronicle of the times which have made her and as she talks about being broken and having to put herself back together again, she presents as a truly rounded artist. It’s mad that she is able to take you through such a range of emotions in such a short EP but this is a reflection on all she has managed to do with the time she has had so far. At just 20 years old, there is no holding her back and this EP demonstrates just how much she has grown and blossomed into her music and has shown that she has found her voice and feet in the industry. It’s a pleasure to listen to and the open ended finish of the EP leaves listeners wanting more and curious as to what she will do next.
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
