I love that Helen Ballentine uses the name Skullcrusher for her musical moniker. You expect doom or death metal when you see “Skullcrusher” on a record, but Ballentine throws you a curve ball of a record to remind you that sometimes a skull can feel crushed from angst, stress, depression, or the overpowering natures of love and lust.
“Places / Plans” is a tale of wanting to just chill with a lover who always wants to go to the after-party. It’s a soft opening with subtle acoustic guitar, Ballentine’s crisp yet vulnerable voice, and even softer synths. “Trace” is a sad tale of love that’s not fully reciprocated as Ballentine sings about worrying about her looks, “sleeping in to get away” and how her lover had made plans to skip town but didn’t only because she found out about it. She tries hard, forcing her lover to hold her hand and feel the connection they used to have, but she (and we) seem to know it’s not going to work. What makes the song even lovelier is the bright piano chords and the way Ballentine’s voice floats along like a happy songbird – even as she’s singing lyrics like, “If I stay here, what is that worth?”
“Two Weeks in December” is so simple and honest that it has to be a true story of Ballentine meeting someone in winter, both of them fooling each other, her getting sick and then flying back to Los Angeles, but not to the person she fooled. “Day of Show” is a tale of Ballentine’s former lover moving on, and even singing about her during a performance, while Ballentine is “…still searching for an hour in my closet trying to figure out what to wear for a day I’ll spend alone in my room.” Damn. She’s keeping it 100, as the kids say.
It’s a heartfelt and honest debut EP, and one that deservedly will garner a lot of attention.
Keep your mind open.
[Trace a line over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]
