Holly’s newest EP, “forget-you-not”, is 5 tracks of the most raw, heartfelt lyrics I've heard in quite awhile coming out of the pop genre. These tracks embody a catchy and poppy vibe, yet also feels like it should be coming from a stage of glittering gold with the vintage charm of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”, or perhaps from the soul-filled sound of Adele – but for every queer person out there who is praying for a soundtrack to their grown-up journey, this EP is so much more than any of that.
This EP really shines when it comes to anything self-discovery and growth, which feels like such a breath of fresh air coming from more common Top 40 radio hits. Holly really digs in her heels throughout the album that she deserves better than her past and that she knows who she is. As listeners, we love that for her and hearing her growth makes us relate with our own. On a personal level, tracks like “I Feel You” bring me back to a time before my fiance, when confessing my feelings to someone was something that felt so all-encompassing when I finally got the nerve to tell them how I felt. Holly really captures that kind of nervous-but-excited feeling in this song, by both the lyrics they use and the overall feeling of the song itself. Holly expertly uses specifically the sense of innocence and vulnerability in her words as well as in the soft piano, which sets up that exact sense of reminiscence that plays in my head when I think about that time. If I had had this song back then it would have been on repeat for months.
The namesake of the EP’s name, “forget-you-not”, with an equally awesome video, is definitely one song that I think will be on repeat for me now though and is probably my favorite on the album. I recently had to cut off a best friend, and even though it has been months since everything happened, something like that isn’t an easy wound to heal from. Listening to this song makes me remember that healing isn’t linear, and that it’s okay to not be over someone and what they did to you just yet. It’s okay to work through things at your own pace without the noise of what society tells us should be the timeline of healing, as long as we come out the other end with self-love and acceptance.
Trauma isn’t something that we can just walk away from, and I think the message of “forget-you-not” is something that we could all remember. Whether someone hurt you in the past or maybe you’re realizing the trauma your upbringing gave you, this song is an amazing anthem to learning how to move on after pain and accept that not everyone is going to be supportive..and that’s okay. This song tells us to stand up, look in the mirror, and remind yourself how strong you are.
The next three tracks, “creedence”, “spotlight”, and “you didn’t deserve me” all hit me in such different ways. I’ve definitely been that girl who found a dude and thought that maybe I was “girlfriend material” for someone who really only thought of me as a hookup. I think because of my own experience I connected with “you didn’t deserve me” the most out of these. I think anyone who has had their heart broken this way can connect with this song and really feel the emotions that Holly puts forth.
The words in this song cut deep and they really make you feel seen in a way that a lot of songs don’t. I loved the other two tracks as well and the way that they are presented in almost this whimsical, folk-tale-like way, but I think we all connect to music for different reasons and this was the other track aside from “forget-me-not” that really got me into my feels.
To wrap it all up in a nice little package, this album is a hit from start to finish, with each song bringing something different but equally compelling to the table. No matter what you’re looking for or what kind of mood you’re in, “forget-me-not” has it. I recommend you to get into a nice, hot bath with a glass of wine, put on this EP, and get in your feels. Holly will take you there.
