ONLY ONE [TRACK-BY-TRACK EP REVIEW]
Ashli’s (@ashli.tv) EP has been out for quite some time now, so it’s only right that we gave it a head-to-toe shakedown after the hype of release. Only One is the debut project from the songstress, who has established herself over the last few months as an r&b powerhouse brimming with talent. Catching plenty of public attention, her releases are slick and scrupulously crafted. I delved into the EP with this in mind, so I was interested to see if her newest release lived up to her reputation.
Only One Artwork
(Image Credit: Taken from Spotify, Photo by @mattburns_)
Lovesick
The EP begins with a dreamy Spanglish cut, full of lush vocal production and spaced out guitar work. Kudos for not washing out those vocals in the mix with too much reverb, they sit nicely at the front of the mix. That bpm increase had me scared my phone was dying again tho.
Only One
Maintaining the ambient soundscapes of the opener, the EP’s title track is a gentle exploration of the artist’s shyness. The track features slightly harder hitting drums and a hook that reminds me of one of the songs from the Willy Wonka soundtrack (?). Either way the EP delves further into Ashli’s psyche with this one. Good stuff.
Dance Again
Choppy samples. Filtered intro. Steady beat. Nice and tropical. Dance Again is a beachy bop with plinky keys and those thicc signature Ashli vocals. Longing for the past, the track feels like the direction a certain major artist should have taken his house album. Drake. Take notes.
King St
Slowing the pace down after the bliss of the previous song, King St tells us about post-breakup turmoil, or possibly the stress of seeing a former flame again? Either way the synths make me want to bang my head on a rained-on window in anguish (I’m sure there’s a word for this). How noice is that white noise crash too?
Nltp
Wow. Starts off like an Ari and Kaytra collab. Builds nicely with some strings into something I can’t quite put my finger on, but absolutely hectic. Has one of those blink-and-it’s-gone choruses. Wtf the outro tho. Such a nice touch. Again, I thought my phone had detuned but wow. Always appreciative of little touches like that.
Fields
This song ties the project together nicely. Bearing elements from virtually all the previous tracks in terms of lyrics, subject matter, ambient production etc. Possibly a deliberate double pronunciation of fields/feels. Nice. Ends with some gorgeously delivered affirmations.
Only One is a successful project to say the least. Ashli will, no doubt, use this project as a springboard to explore new sounds and feelings, but she’s set the bar remarkably high for a first release.
Listen to the EP here.
