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- May 12, 2023
Harriette Gives Perfect Album for Summer Nights Spent Romanticizing Smalltown Life
Harriette’s debut EP, i heart the internet, due April 27, from AWAL, exemplifies that beguiling, low-slung ease and insistent sense of self, witty modernist barbs and open-hearted confessions swimming through honeyed, country-adjacent indie pop. After gaining a surprise fanbase and acclaim for her TikTok post of a breakup song called “at least i’m pretty” in 2021, Harriette set to work exploring where music could take her.
Growing up equally obsessed with the Dixie Chicks and Sheryl Crow as Taylor Swift and Hillary Duff, the place where Southern warmth meets pop guile has always been a sweet spot.
– Harriette
Harriette finds that sweet spot and claims domain over it through this album. Her songs sound like growing up in a small town, especially small towns you’re dying to get out of. The EP was teased with the release of three songs ‘i heart the internet,’ ‘F****** Married’ and ‘Goodbye Texas.’ The rippling “bc I Love You”, meanwhile, balances airy synths and chugging electric guitar with a postmortem examination of a failed relationship.
The bedroom pop meets Southern EP is an ode to the pains and triumphs that come with growing out of the town you’re from and all the parts that come with it. This is specifically evident in the songs ‘F****** Married’ and ‘Johnny Got It Right’ both of which touch upon hometown sweethearts, unhealthy relationships, and the feelings that come with hearing your ex got married at 23.
The acoustic-strummed “i heart the internet” hits that mark, a Clairo-via-Nashville tune that builds phone dialing into its musical structure. “If I knew how to make my bed, I wouldn’t sleep so close to the edge,” Harriette drips, her cotton candy vocals floating over a rubber band bass and a wash of crystalline slide guitar.
The tracks ‘Lying is Cute’ and ‘Black and Blue’ serve as lyrical, thematic and sonic foils while sitting back to back on the tracklist. ‘Lying is Cute’ features a low, somewhat melancholic melody line and muffled drum beat in the background as Harriette’s vocals glid over lyrics describing being involved with an on-and-off again lover who Harriette will always wait for to return as she promises always being there for them. Following up is ‘Black and Blue’ which is more upbeat while serving as a strong contrast against the previous track with lyrics like “I know it’s not you so what good does lying do?/I know it’s not fair that I can’t be there for you” as well as the chorus which repeats how beat up Harriette is from the relationship and wondering what she can do about it.
Stream i heart the internet on all available platforms and follow Harriette on social media to stay informed about new music or upcoming tours!
