UK based indie artist Phoebe Green released her newest EP “The Container” on Friday. The album touches on themes of change and complex romantic relationships in this moody five song collection.
The album opens with the introspective track, “Rage Of A Kid.” The song establishes the vibe of the album as Green talks about her internal struggles.
“I’m haunted / By a former love / Or was it a projection / Onto somebody’s son?” Green sings in the chorus, both setting the tone for the rest of the album and setting the theme that is woven throughout the EP.
Green zeros in on the theme of growing up in the song, making a point about her fear of change. She references Charli XCX’s “I think about it all the time,” which focuses on Charli’s own struggles with aging and wanting to start a family.
“What Are You Doing” is the EP’s first upbeat track, featuring Green’s vocals over a steady pop beat. Green laments on a past lover — featuring conflicting ideas — implying that both Green and this person are in the wrong, want forgiveness and maybe even want to rekindle their flame.
The track starts with Green proposing her speculations that this past lover is still thinking about what they had. Green acknowledges her own indifference to the situation while also establishing that she is forever changed by the relationship.
The third song on the album starts heavy and focuses on Green’s devotion to a lover titled “Precious Things.” This is also a high-energy track that feels like a continuation of its preceding song “What Are You Doing,” where Green is moving on from that relationship with someone new but can’t stop thinking about the past.
“If you could see me now / Maybe you’d want me,” Green sings in the chorus.
“Precious Things” has to be my favorite track on this EP. Its lyrics about the almost self-destructive urge to be anything and everything a lover needs are very profound. The first verse starts off with Green rattling off ways she has been enamored by this person and would morph herself into anything they want.
“Tell me what you want so I can die trying to be it / Manipulate my body into whatever you’re needing.”
This track is vital to understanding the story of this album. It is responsible for the EP’s namesake with the chorus repeating the lyrics “I’ll be the container you keep all your precious things in.”
The implication is that Green’s EP “The Container” contains all that she thinks is precious — this person she would change herself for.
“I Could Try To Change” adds to the story with similar themes as “Precious Things.” Here Green promises she can change her guarded ways and open up to her new lover.
The EPs closing track “IV” goes back to the sound of the opening track slows with an acoustic guitar backing Greens soft vocals. However its somber lyrics cement it as the final chapter of the story this album tells.
This song swaps the roles Green has established through this album: Green as the giver and her lover as the taker, asking her lover to “decompose for her.”
Green has been making music since 2016. In an interview with WhyNow, she notes specific inspirations for this EP as electronic artists Caroline Polachek and Charli XCX but also pop artists like Yves Tumor and Chappell Roan.
Though I really like the themes and the story contained within this EP, some of the songs feel less memorable than others. I have only found myself wanting to revisit tracks like “Precious Things” and “I Could Try To Change.”
Despite this, I think this is a beautiful EP and will definitely keep Green on my radar as she continues to release music and grow as an artist.
3/5 stars
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @ph0ebegreen, Instagram
