MUSIC REVIEW: HAVEN MADISON – Turn Off All The Lights [EP]

Label: 19 Recordings

Release Date: April 26, 2024

Rating: 96%

Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

Seems to be the year of EPs that strike a nerve in me when I listen through new material.  Maybe it’s just the way of the industry or (as I believe) artists are releasing their best stuff with no filler.  That ideology is definitely true of the recent EP from Haven Madison.  This five-track collection is a solid offering that checks all the boxes through the fifteen minutes.  Disc opener “Kiss The Ground” is a moody track full of pop greatness with some punk, rock, and edgier undertones.  The bottom heavy sound in the chorus gives the song punch underneath her lofty and poppy vocals.  This one grabbed me and hasn’t let go since I first listened through.  The swirl of differnet textures int eh track makes it standout amongst the other killer tracks here.  “Sky Up” dials back the heavy sound and offers up a beautiful track that allows Haven’s vocals to rise above the music and take its rightful place in the spotlight.  This piano driven track ebbs and flows with the different instrumentation that is layered in with phenomenal background vocals on the bridge.  “Monster” kicks in with an almost ethereal sound dancing underneath the vocals, adds depth to the disc.  When the chorus hits, the song grows exponentially and gets better with each lyric and the range Madison demonstrates as she floats through the song.  This is another song that crawls inside your head and anchors itself.  “Claw Marks” is a great ballad that is poignant and a track that seems to peel back the layers and reveal some scars and raw emotion that can only be inflicted and affected by true claw marks, physical and emotional.  The vocal / piano duet that drives the track and allows for some layered vocals to be drapes across the track is eerily beautiful from open to close.  Disc closer “How You Like Me Now” is a fun pop track that wraps up the project perfectly and gives us an upbeat finish that doubles as another earworm that burrows in your brain and has yo uhumming and singing along even after the song has ended.  This one also features some cool wordplay that keeps you listening.  Hopefully we can get some lives dates to hear this stuff in person and see if these songs translate as well live as they do recorded.

Tracklisting: Kiss The Ground – Sky Up – Monster – Claw Marks – How You Like Me Now

HAVEN MADISON LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

X – TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TURN OFF ALL THE LIGHTS – ITUNES

Category: CD Reviews