American singer-songwriter Carlie Hanson has been releasing singles consistently throughout the year, and she's just dropped a new project for us all to enjoy. Her 7-track EP DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy is full of the chaotic energy that's reigned supreme in 2020, and she's sounding better than ever.
Talking to V Magazine about the project earlier in the year, Carlie says it includes a lot of experimentation. "I’ve been writing about real personal shit and I haven’t been holding back on experimenting with new sounds in the studio. I cannot wait for the world to hear what I’ve been working on." Now it's here, and it's just as amazing as she promised.
The project features the fire collab with iann dior, Ego. It's a politically-charged anthem talking about everything from police brutality to the corruption that plagues politics in countries around the world. Carlie wants her voice to be heard, and she wants to help those around her speak up too.
Carlie's music might sound pop, but every song has a deeper meaning. She wants her audience to look past the production and her vocals for what the song is saying, because that's the music she connects with the most. Speaking to Celebmix, she says that she's not a fan of music without substance. "I hate listening to a song that doesn’t have any real deep meaning. I mean I know there are songs that you just want to shake your ass to or whatever, and I mean I have those too, but I really want people to listen and think of a memory or a scenario in their head and just like imagine and feel something."
DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy also features a tribute song to two of the greatest talents of our generation, and two rappers that left us far too soon. Stealing All My Friends is a tribute song to Lil Peep and Mac Miller, and is a frank and honest discussion of the impact of drug addiction. She's captured the effects an addiction can have not just on the person, but those around them. Carlie says, "I have seen firsthand what drugs can do to a person and it is not pretty, but it is real and something that I felt needed to be talked about.”
On the track, Carlie strips back her sound to just her voice and an acoustic guitar - a left turn from the polished pop songs that feature on the rest of the record. Her vocals are able to carry the track, though, and it's more proof that she knows her sound inside and out. When she takes a risk, it's bound to pay off.
Closing track Good Enough sees Carlie take a look at herself, and the doubts she has about herself. She talks about putting on a face for the world, and how she doesn't think she'll "ever be good enough". She wonders if she's invisible, and protects herself by putting a barrier up so the world gets a different view of her to what she sees when she looks in the mirror.
It's a deeply personal track, but one that many people can relate to. She's able to look to society to talk about what's going on, as well as look inside herself and explain how she feels. DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy is a wonderful pop record, but it's important to look past that and understand what Carlie is saying. She's able to strip back complex topics to their core issues, in a way that everyone can understand.
Talking to Rain-Mag, connecting with her audience is one of her goals for her music. Carlie says, "There are many things I want to accomplish with my music. Most importantly, I want to connect with people. The reason I fell in love with music is because of how much it helped me. Listening to a song and hearing that somebody feels the same way as I do. It just makes you feel less alone, which is exactly what I want to achieve when others listen to my music. This EP will make you feel like you're having a conversation with a trusted friend.'
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Check out DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy below. Carlie is part of the new generation of popstars who are making music with a social conscience. As part of the LGBTQIA+ community, she understands how important it is to represent people who might not otherwise have a voice, and this new EP does exactly that. It's pop music you can get lost in, but you'll also find yourself thinking about the issues she's talking about.
