It’s not hard to identify with Haley Blais and her wistful nostalgia for the long-gone days of childhood. Their lyrics resonate deeply with so many of us who find ourselves as lost twenty-somethings, underpaid and overworked half-adults in a terrifying world full of inescapable responsibility, overwhelming stress and a general air of malaise.
“I want my baby teeth back” she sings in the chorus – the slightly macabre image is just one of the many mundane phenomena the Canadian singer-songwriter transforms into poignant symbols for blissful childhood simplicity. The universal experience of losing baby teeth represents a time that predates soul-sucking adulthood and all the exhausting complexities it brings. The little vignettes of youth are beautifully woven and held together by Blais’ soft-spoken vocals, which shine amid the stripped-back instrumentals of the acoustic guitar and piano. The overall soundscape is soothing and beautifully melancholic, especially when Blais switches to their breathier, more vulnerable voice with ease. This particular brand of soft and sad indie is reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo and beabadoobee and has a charming scream-into-your-pillow quality that is impossible to resist. It’s classic ‘sad girl hours’ music: easy to listen to, relatable, and ruminative in an unpretentious way.
Speaking about the song, Haley states, “It’s a bunch of snippets of my life, of seemingly insignificant moments that made me who I am today, I think. The chorus is about me not wanting to face growing older, wanting to physically regress into the comforts of my inner child. Anytime I listen or play this song, I can smell the basement of my childhood home, or my best friend’s cigarettes (she quit now), and I can see myself, talking to myself in the mirror, doing my best Late Night show wisecracks.”
Her sophomore full-length album Sophomore is due on September 15th and the 11 tracks will include the 2022 singles “Coolest Fucking Bitch In Town” and “Survivor’s Guilt” as well as the recently shared track “Matchmaker” along with “Baby Teeth”. Judging from their offerings so far, Blais is definitely a rising indie-pop artist to watch out for.
Words by Jui Zaveri
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