1. Mystique
2. Floating Away
3. Lost My Head
4. Knock It Down
5. April 15th
6. Sea Breeze
Feeling Bad, Feeling Better is the latest EP from the Shenzhen singer-songwriter Sessy and it’s a surprisingly rich and complex batch of songs that expand upon its genre boundaries.
The EP contains 6 songs of beautifully crafted melodies that take inspiration from different edges of alternative rock and emo. The first song, Mystique, is reminiscent of an acoustic song by Brand New. The bridge has a great build on it that bursts into a mess of electric noodling. Another standout for me is Lost My Head which seems to have a Pixies-style structure – soft verses, loud chorus. I really love the heavy riffing that acts as the solo. Another really good song is April 15th, It reminds me of a slightly faster song by emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate. All the instrumentation is very surprising considering Sessy is a singer-songwriter: I’ve found a lot of singer-songwriter albums have great songwriting but miss out on the instrumentation. This EP, however, has excellent use of the rhythm section, including the intense drum fills in Knock It Down and the fuzzy bass in the acoustic closer Sea Breeze. There are even some elements of a horn section, a nice subtle moment.
If there is any major issue with the album it’s the lyrics, which at times feel a bit clunky. The words seem to fall into some of the pitfalls of the genre. That may be a major issue for some but not for me. I could look past this minor flaw to appreciate the instrumentation, which shines brightly on the project.
Sessy has created another work of great emo/folk rock, one that uses varied instrumentation to move beyond its genre trappings while also taking inspiration from emo and alt-rock greats. Even if you don’t think emo is for you, I strongly recommend giving the EP a couple listens. There will definitely be something you’ll like.
-Joshua Ellis-Einhorn
This EP can be downloaded here.
