GG Fearn is an artist to watch on the Indie Music scene as this creative talent is quickly establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with, as well as, an artist that commands attention. She’s an adaptable vocal rhyme resonating wiz, and her latest drop, “Black Mirror” needs no introduction.
With this four-track EP, each track literally holds up the four corners of an attitude – we have the good, the bad, the sexy, and the fully in charge, all glued together with infectious soundscapes, fierce, yet gentle, spits, and modern melodies that plays well with others.
This is a capsule review of Black Mirror where I will interpret the two singles that has the girth to fully speak for the entire collection, therefore, fully illustrating the artist’s new direction in music. I will be calling GG Fearn “GG” in this review.
We start with the title track. And guys, OMG, you ain’t ready for this, but I’m gonna give it to you anyway. With “Black Mirror,” the track starts out of the gate aggressive and demands your attention from point zero to the three minutes / six minutes closing. Here, we get a storyline that reflects an existentialist crisis where the protagonist of the song feels trapped within a place of monotony, the opening lyrics sing: new generation of the silver screen / velvet curtains and beauty queens / a moth gets too close to the light / suddenly everything goes white / cocktail parties and limousines / rotting meat and decaying teeth / swollen streams of reality / one cracked mirror and a fallen tree / and I think I’m going crazy / vision's going hazy / I know / I hear the shotgun ring / but you don't hear a thing / harm can be a comfort when poison is your king / a necklace made of pearls / and artificial girls / I’m stuck in a black mirror.
Now whether the lyrics illustrate that un-realistic scrutiny of the entertainment industry where artists who are rebelliously free are subjected to senseless opinions to cage creativity, or displays a muted relationship that tends to feel like the black screen of a computer once it crashes, regardless, this track serves up some realness and takes you THERE man, there to a whole other level of subconsciousness.
Moreover, the song’s vocal production is a mixture of bold leads and softly sung hooks exaggerated with synth FX. GG has a more in-your-face tone with her leads within the verses which wonderfully illustrates the protagonist in the song firmly speaking her state of affairs, the dilemma she has stumbled into within life. Then on the hooks, GG softly sings along in harmony with the multi-layered harmonic chorus. This dual vocal styling gives “Black Mirror” a salty-sweet aurora and meshes well with the song’s music arrangement.
That constant command to the beat coming from that bass and that guitar being all swanky in the back is just absolute. In addition, it was good to hear the delicate backing vocals in full chorus. The Electro-Pop and Dark Wave music combination is so roguishly luscious.
“Teen Queen” is the I’m the girl who will wear black to the prom and nobody betta say one thing to me about it – SONG! Purely independent and NOW! Full of surprises, the track starts out with a full orchestral introduction, meanders into a slower tempo, and then climbs with an Electro-Pop swag. GG’s storyline is all about understanding the “new normal’ and accepting it as better not bad. A great philosophy if you ask me. The lyrics show this theme: I've travelled through hell and all of its towns / God only knows where I've been / I'm the only girl that can wear the crown / yes I'm your new teen queen / you can call me narcissistic / but please don't forget sadistic / I, I am your new teen queen / nothing that they've ever seen / your time on stage is through / make way for someone / new, new, new, new, new / new, new, new, new, new / new, new, new, new, new / new, new, new, new, new.
You can actually hear the liberation coming off the tongue of GG with the way she sings this track – she links the syllable of the last word to the first syllable of the next word making “Teen Queen” floetic instead of poetic. She’s putting a spin on things, and it works. Not to mention her sassy-filled snarly vocal delivery, as well as her “done, done, done, done” hook holding it all down presenting a singing-induced coma-effect on the listeners.
You would almost think that “Teen Queen” was an ElectroPop ballad, but the chord progressions followed by those stabbing synths, kick drums, and tambourines places this song right into the Electro-Hop genre. “Teen Queen” is very catchy and should have no problem climbing the Billboard Hot 100 charts to #1 this summer – it’s just that GOOD!
Including “Deal with the Devil” and "Famous Last Words,” this EP will yield many singles. Every song signals GG’s talent in writing, producing, and executing an album. Plus, it solidifies her as a progressive artist.
Much like the American singer Lizzo, GG just knows how to do IT and do IT right. She is skilled in knowing when to make the next move into another direction and make it FAB while still staying true to herself. Which is exactly what GG Fearn has accomplished with “Black Mirror.”
In contrast to GG’s previous EP “Perfect on Paper” with its genre-specific Electro-Alt. Pop instrumentation, “Black Mirror” is edgier. GG switches gears and commands the lane with a Dark Pop direction when it comes to her melodies and features a more controlling swag to her verses. In addition, she blends this Dark Pop vibe to dance music, Hip-Hop, and Pop which to me is so inspiring.
Now, some fans become upset when one of their favorite artists mix things up a bit on their second time go round, but when the artist goes off into another direction and still appease the masses with hit-worthy tracks, why would they even care. The proof of this statement is within this hit maker called “Black Mirror” – why argue with greatness?