On June 11, K.Flay released her EP Inside Voices, which contained five tracks. Last Friday, the singer released its counterpart, Outside Voices. The new EP was produced by Jason Suwito, Ryan Spraker, and Tommy English. Just like in Inside Voices, each song in Outside Voices “corresponds to a different region in the brain,” K.Flay explained.
K.Flay pursued a double major in psychology and sociology at Stanford University, so she took inspiration from her college years and her “roots in psychology and neuroscience” to create these bodies of work. On the singer’s website, we can see a representation of her brain, where she explains each part of it. Check out the immersive experience here.
K.Flay told American Songwriter magazine that “music has all these different ways of expressing joy, and rage, and pain, and misery, and togetherness […] It’s exciting to me that we can do this magic trick.” Overall, Outside Voices shines for K.Flay’s lyricism, which is always on point. The artist stated that “these songs are about losing love, losing your way, losing your mind, but eventually waking up somewhere more beautiful and weird than you ever could have imagined. I wanna scream at the top of my lungs I’m so happy.”
Lyrically, the most outstanding song in Outside Voices is “I’m Afraid of the Internet.” The track is a critique of people’s use of the internet and how it can change the way we behave. In it, K.Flay sings about googling the symptoms of a heart attack and wondering if she will have one soon. Similarly, the songwriter wonders if crying about the death of “an actress that I never knew” is “a normal thing to do.”
Production-wise, “Caramel and Symphonies” is a breakup song that doesn’t feel like one at all. The tune has a feel-good vibe, and the crescendo reaching the end of the song makes it a highlight in the EP and the perfect closing track. Similarly, “Weirdo” is a self-love anthem, which will most likely become a fan favorite. The song points fingers at people who make others feel like they don’t belong because they don’t follow the status quo. In K-Flay’s words, “Weirdo” also serves as an empowering track for “everyone who’s ever felt different or ostracized.”
Once again, K.Flay shows her talent and passion in Outside Voices and proves that she simply cannot make a bad record. Make sure to stream the EP on Spotify and Apple Music and don’t forget to check K.Flay’s website. Happy listening!
