Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Stevie Jean, Dorro Records/Settle Down Records 2019.
Northern Territorian, Stevie Jean is new to me but on a first listen of this EP, I must familiarise myself with more of her work.
She first came to prominence as an 18-year-old via Triple J Unearthed (2018) and since then she’s gone on to support a variety of major acts such as Tash Sultana, The Cat Empire, The Angels, Grinspoon, The Rubens, Icehouse and Montaigne.
Her single, Hell In Every Religion reached number 5 in Triple J’s Top 100 and she was nominated for NT’s Best Live Voice in both 2017 and 2018.
Blame Game is a classy five track EP that exhibits some wonderful songwriting and powerful performances.
The track list includes Hell In Every Religion as well as December Song, Mockingbird, Estranged and I Like You (which interestingly had an original title of You’re Okay I Guess).
Stevie released this EP in early December and it was lost in amongst the usual overload of Christmas fare that fills my inbox – consequently, I’ve only just discovered it. And I’m glad that I have because it’s nice to hear such a polished piece of work from such a young artist.
Stevie’s musical style is atmospheric indie rock/pop. Her songs tell interesting stories and, musically, they possess plenty of variety to keep the listener intrigued.
She comments that most of the lyric content of the EP relates to her last few high school years and the loss of innocence that results from growing up.
Each song is a gem that explores the highs and lows of this often confusing period in our development.
The exception to this is the final track Hell In Every Religion which skewers the domination and control that underlies all religions.
She sings: “I’m going to hell in every single religion… I’ll love who I love while you try to burn me.”
The stream that I received came with very scant detail of the recording process, but I can tell you that whoever was involved deserves credit as they have produced an emotionally powerful record that soars with passion and commitment.
