EP Review: Lexie Carroll - 'it’s difficult to talk'
Blending indie, pop and folk, Lexie Carroll’s third EP ‘It’s Difficult to Talk’ enables her to say all the words she never felt able to let out before.
Soft, thoughtful and sensitive, Lexie Carroll’s has turned heads with her songwriting since her early teens and with the release of her new EP, ‘Difficult to Talk’, she is at her most genuine and vulnerable yet. Explaining earlier this year that this EP is the most ‘her’ she has ever been able to share, the tracks take listeners through memories of friendship, mental health struggles and the words we leave unsaid.
The EP opens with ‘Central Line’, an exploration of loneliness on the tube and a wistful look into the amount of silence in a city so full of people and noise. While the lyrics of the track feed into a wider question about why we leave so much unsaid, whether that be to someone we know and care about or a complete stranger. When talking through the motivations behind the track, Carroll explained
‘We all just get on with stuff. There’s nothing sadder than on the London commute when everyone’s just in the zone of getting to their places, never noticing to stop or see if anyone’s doing alright’
Her frustration at knowing someone wants to talk to you but can only bring about rudimentary lines about train delays is palpable in the lyrics and feel of the track. In the second verse she talks about everyone becoming lost amidst the tangled lines on the tube map and forgetting why they came in the first place. Whilst it is certainly wistful and expresses a yearning for connection, there is a real heart behind the track that comes through in the chorus. Through this track, Carroll is encouraging people to break through the silence and reassures you that she isn’t leaving. It sows the seed of hope and assurance which grows over the course of the EP.
The title of the EP takes its name from a lyric in ‘violet’, a track which was released earlier this year. Deeply personal and intimate, the song is a letter to a loved one who was enduring personal struggles with mental health. In an endeavour to get through to them, Carroll wrote ‘violet’ urging them to hold on because brighter days were to come. The lyrics are set against a wonderfully catchy chorus with bright strumming guitars that exude warmth. They grow progressively throughout the track and in contrast to some of her other work, Carroll leans heavily into the drums. Together, they create an audioscape of strength and perseverance; the rhythm spurring you on and encouraging you to keep moving forwards. Slapped in the middle of the EP, the track’s positivity radiates throughout the album and it begins to become clear that the message of hope which it embodies is core to what Carroll is trying to convey. Whilst sometimes it may be difficult to talk and get out the right words, through music we can engage with one another.
Family has been central to her music since she started writing songs and her relationships with her family, specifically her mum, are clearest on track 2 ‘annual birthday cry’ and track 4 ‘growing pains’. On ‘annual birthday cry’ Carroll wrestles between two truths: knowing that the moment is hard but recognising that you are going to be okay. She talks a lot about her mum in the track, writing about how her own ageing makes her more aware of her mums and that recognition that there will come a time when she won’t be around. Her mum has long been her biggest cheerleader and within this track she tries to explain how much having her around means.
‘I’m very close with my mum and the idea that she’s going to become less of herself is sad to me… I couldn’t do anything without her. She’s the one who takes me to all the shows and is always supporting me. Whatever I want to do she’ll be in my corner…She’s very proud of I think - I hope’
She encapsulates the stress and anxiety which comes with ageing as she writes that “The annual panic” has become “tradition,” and although she “hate[s] how the mood changes” she knows that she is going to have to grow up and learn “to learn how to live in [her] own damn mind.” Though she repeats over and over that she’ll be alright, the lyrics of the verses point towards the inner turmoil she feels on a day that is supposed to be happy. ‘Growing pains’ keeps this train of thought going as it goes through a list of all the things you had expected to do; getting jobs, moving away from home and being an ‘adult’. She explains the difficulty which comes with comparing herself to her peers and her anger at having to exchange the ‘obligatory pleasantries’ with the people who you see as the competition. The songs speak to a very real fear in all of us, not just about aging and growing old but about the things we’ll leave behind. She talks about her anxiety to catch up but in the same breath begs that things slow down and return to how they used to feel; the constant dichotomy of wanting more time but recognising that there’ll never be enough.
The EP closes beautifully with ‘tomorrow’. In her own words, Lexie describes the song as being about feeling totally at home and safe with someone.
‘there could be a full on apocalypse going on outside but sitting in their living room you’re in your own bubble and everything’s okay.’
The ethereal production of the track wonderfully compliments the heartfelt lyrics; the reverberated and echoey guitar against Carroll’s soft vocals are an image of whimsy and paradise. The guitar strumming is innately soothing and the drums which come into their own in the second verse direct you into this safe space. The lyric ‘tomorrow feels like it may never come’ repeats over and over again but each time takes on new meaning; it may start out as a hopeless take on the world with the knowledge that the perfect version of the future is beyond your reach but quickly amalgamates into a desire to stay in this moment forever. The silence which Carroll spoke about before in the opening of the track is no longer a place for anxiety and the fear of leaving things unsaid and instead there is a serenity and peace that comes with doing and saying nothing. A fantastic book end to the album, Lexie begins to understand that sometimes the most important things are those which we never speak.
The next few months have a lot in store for Lexie Carroll. As well as playing at the Great Escape Festival next week, she has been announced as a support act for label mate Matilda Mann. One of her big inspirations, its set to be an exciting evening and not one to be missed.
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
