Our emotional states and growth rarely takes a linear path. As we experience successes and setbacks, we mature in leaps or slide a bit into old thoughts and mental states. This is completely normal. Life is super complicated, and no one is expected to fully have a handle on their emotions at every single moment. You can even have complex emotions spinning all together, like when you’re happy and sad at the same time. You could say that life has a lot of emotional grey areas. That’s exactly what California singer Kat Hamilton is saying with her new EP, fittingly called The Grey Area. We have the premiere of The Grey Area, and we’re thrilled to share Hamilton’s vision.
The EP’s opening track shares a title with the EP itself, and lays out what to expect from a musical and content perspective. Hamilton has a pop punk background, and you can hear that influence in the guitars and drums on The Grey Area. That being said, it’s impossible to box her into one genre, as she also incorporates poppier melodies and an impressive musical range. Lyrically she can explore being sad and disappointed while carrying a bright sound, and it’s a strong reminder that sometimes our emotions don’t make any sense and we have to sort our way out of our experiences. “Shitty Broken Heart” features folk singer Evan Nachimson, and the blunt title and lyrics work perfectly from an emotional standpoint and with the vocal delivery of the duo. “Reminders” lets Hamilton let out her aggression on a punchy, exciting backdrop of music, and showcases that she can let loose with the vocal range when she wants to. The Grey Area ends on her singles “Letting Go” and “Bees.” We already knew these were great songs, but in context of the EP they carry an important emotional lesson of growing up and trying our best, no matter what.
This project clearly holds great significance for Hamilton. She explains “My EP The Grey Area is an extension of this idea of loneliness and self isolation. It’s not just about a breakup, it’s about losing yourself in a person, a place. Your first queer love is so closely tied to identity and coming out. That relationship can become a closet in a sense. Keeping you from finding you.”
You can stream Kat Hamilton’s new EP The Grey Area below. The EP officially drops on Monday, November 5, and pre-orders are available here.
