Kaylee Johnston – Kaylee Johnston – EP Review

Independent

by Marisa Filippo

www.kayleejohnston.com

New, fresh, hypnotic beats… I was honestly expecting nothing less from Kaylee Johnston. After the release of her lead single, “Getting Over You,” off of her self-titled EP, I knew that the overall EP would be a banger. “Getting Over You” hit the airways mid-April and was accompanied by a music video soon after. The track was remixed by LA-based duo Stu G & Robot Disco Puma and mixed by Orlando Vitto (Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Britney Spears).

Every hook, chorus, verse, etc. on the EP is mesmerizing. Johnston’s insane and distinct vocals mixed with upbeat production make for ear-catching tracks, not to mention the emotional journey she takes the listener through with her lyrics that reveal the truth of life and love. When speaking about her sound, she states, “I was working on an electro-pop album, but it always felt like something was missing, so I went back to the basics. The new album sounds fresh to me… a combination of organic instruments mixed with hints of electronic sounds.” Let her EP be your summer anthem.

Her EP features seven tracks, three of which were released and proved successful before today. Each track is dance based except “Let’s Pretend” which is the last of the EP. You can truly hear Johnston’s raw emotion and vocal range on this one. However, that’s not to say that you can’t hear her intoxicating vocals on the others. Her honest lyrics will definitely appeal to those going through heartbreak.

To date, Johnston has written over 300 songs and spent the last three years developing her sound with production team SA Trackworks (Steve Smith and Anthony Anderson). She has opened for Dragonette and Ace of Base and shared the stage with Carly Rae Jepsen, Marianas Trench, One Republic and Joe Jonas.

Johnston is celebrating the release of her EP by playing it live at The Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, B.C. tonight.