EP Review: Nessa Barrett - ‘Jesus Loves a Primadonna’
Rising artist Nessa Barrett has long flirted with the intensity of emotional candour, but her brand-new EP, Jesus Loves a Primadonna, crystallises that daring into a fully realised artistic statement.
Across eight tracks, Barrett navigates the labyrinthine terrain of love, its beauty, its collapse, and the inevitable self-preservation that follows. Framed as the “villain origin story” of every woman who has loved until she cannot love anymore, the EP feels both intimate and cinematic, a testament to Barrett’s evolution from bedroom pop starlet to an artist of considerable emotional and sonic maturity.
The record opens with ‘West Coast Prayers’, a 3-minute-and-30-second invocation that immediately sets the tone. Minimalistic yet enveloping, the track combines moody electronic textures with Barrett’s signature whispery vocal approach, establishing a sense of spiritual longing that threads through the entire EP. Her voice is at once soothing and urgent, hinting at the vulnerability to come without ever compromising its ethereal beauty.
Next, ‘Moulin Rouge’ introduces a subtle playfulness, contrasting the heavier emotional themes with a slightly more theatrical sensibility. Barrett’s ability to inhabit different emotional registers without losing cohesion is remarkable; even the lighter moments carry an undercurrent of tension, a sly acknowledgement that love is never simple. Similarly, ‘Black Haired Madonna’ continues this exploration of romantic duality, blending electronic melancholy with a melodic directness that demonstrates Barrett’s growing command of mood and atmosphere.
By the time we reach ‘Venom’, the EP’s dark, club-influenced production becomes more pronounced. The track’s title is fitting: Barrett’s vocals insinuate danger, passion, and longing in equal measure. Here, the electronic textures feel “dirty and dark,” yet the song is never oppressive; Barrett’s voice, soothing, almost hypnotic, balances the brooding instrumentation, proving that she can wield her emotionality as an instrument itself.
‘Buffalo 66’ serves as a centrepiece of narrative and sound. With a cinematic sweep, the song unfolds slowly, building tension through layered synths and hauntingly precise percussion. Barrett’s lyricism here is sharp, reflecting a keen understanding of heartbreak’s complexities. The production, moving away from her pop-punk roots, signals a confident pivot into a club-ready yet introspective domain.
Perhaps the most sonically adventurous track, ‘High on Heaven’, mixes desert-rock expansiveness with trip-hop rhythms, hypnotic vocal layering, and a restrained sensuality. Lyrically, the song juxtaposes desire and devotion, exploring attachment in a way that is suggestive yet measured: “I know it’s late / But, darlin’, I need you now, I’m freaking out / Straight in my veins,” she confesses, comparing emotional dependence to being “high on heroin”. It’s a bold metaphor, executed with enough subtlety to feel vulnerable rather than performative.
‘Special To You’ condenses emotional complexity into a brief but affecting burst of melody. Its intimacy is striking; Barrett’s whispery timbre draws the listener close, emphasising the tenderness at the heart of the EP.
The record closes with ‘Stay With Me’, a 3-minute-and-47-second tour de force of vulnerability and heartbreak. Opening with soft, almost hesitant guitar strums, Barrett immediately immerses the listener in her emotional landscape: “Maybe I’m not meant to be held / I get close, and they always leave / Will you be like everyone else / Or will you stay with me?” The song’s cinematic, gothic aura, accentuated by black-and-white visuals and the cover featuring Barrett cradling a black kitten, underscores its emotional weight. Here, Barrett confronts abandonment, past trauma, and borderline personality struggles with astonishing openness. The rising tide of grunge-infused guitars and surging synths mirrors the intensifying emotional stakes, allowing her voice to cut deeply into the listener’s consciousness without ever feeling melodramatic.
What ties Jesus Loves a Primadonna together is Barrett’s uncanny ability to translate complex emotional states into sound. The production’s moody electronic palette, layered with club-ready textures and desert-rock expansiveness, supports her lyricism without overpowering it. Her vocal performances, soothing yet tinged with fragility, communicate a spectrum of vulnerability, anger, and desire with nuance and precision. The EP is a masterclass in balancing accessibility with depth, pop sensibilities with dark, immersive atmospherics.
Jesus Loves a Primadonna announces Nessa Barrett as a fully realised artist capable of marrying raw emotional honesty with a sophisticated sonic vision. Each track is meticulously crafted, each lyric thoughtfully rendered, resulting in a record that is both a personal confession and a universal exploration of love’s transformative power. Barrett has not only expanded her musical palette but has also sharpened her narrative voice, offering listeners a profound and compelling portrait of a woman who loves fiercely, loses deeply, and ultimately survives with artful grace.
Words by Danielle Holian
