Sarah Kinsley’s new EP Fleeting, released on February 13th, is a statement piece of the alt-pop artist’s growing confidence in her own sound and style. The 25-year-old American singer-songwriter, is known for the 2021 TikTok hit ‘The King’ and dreamy, dancy, and melancholy bops like ‘Oh No Darling!’. Her debut album Escaper explores more classical styles, but Fleeting calls the artist back to her dance pop strengths.
Her most recent work, this five-song EP, plays on themes of desire and fleetingness. Kinsley told Genius that “It’s a record for grasping the granular moment before you lose it.”
The singles, ‘Lonely Touch’ and ‘Fleeting’, which open and close the EP respectively, are arguably the stronger songs on the record. In ‘Lonely Touch,’ Kinsley sings about wanting to exchange talking for touching so that she can be truly intimate with another person. Inspired in part by Luca Guadagnino’s film Queer, the tension masterfully intensifies, fuelled by a pulsating beat that has become a Kinsley signature. The song is dark, introspective, and electric — it is one of Kinsley’s best to date.
‘Fleeting’ encapsulates the heart of what Kinsley is trying to capture with an enrapturing and memorable chorus — “you can cut your hair all you want, but it won’t stop the feeling, the answer is always, the answer is always fleeting”. Moments will pass, time goes on, and feelings are temporary, Kinsley’s ethereal voice reminds us.
The second track, ‘Truth of Pursuit’, is a solid piece of dance pop though perhaps not as memorable as the titular song. The production is almost as important as the lyrics, with the beat grounding the song. Time is again slipping out of Kinsley’s hands and control, with her echoing her wish: “Oh, I wanna feel alive, like I did, like I used to, and, oh, go on and do what you like”.
The lowest point of Kinsley’s EP comes with the third track, ‘Reverie’. Verging on too melodramatic, the song pales in comparison to the rest of the EP. It is a bit of a bummer, that lacks the standout beat drops or compelling melodic choices of Kinsley’s best work.
The EP also features her first collaboration to date, a beautiful dramatic track called ‘After All’ featuring the British singer-songwriter Paris Paloma. With a heavenly backing track of piano and strings, the singers’ voices meld perfectly together as they sing heartbreakingly about past loves.
The five song EP, 17 minutes in total, is over too soon. Just as the viewer gets a firm grasp of her meanings, melodies and exquisite vocals, Kinsley’s voice is already fading away. It’s only fleeting, after all.
“Sarah Kinsley (54003919667)” by David Lee from Redmond, WA, USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0.