When I review an artist’s debut record, I must admit I rarely put myself in that artist’s shoes.
By Graeme Smith
They are presenting their music to the world for the first time, unsure of how it will be taken. Maybe it will be loved; maybe it will be hated. Worst of all, maybe it will be ignored.
How does an artist avoid that worst fate? Singer-songwriter Lizet Aviva’s approach is to be honest and vulnerable, and it works for her. Her understated five track self-titled EP proves a captivating first foray into the world of recorded music.
All five tracks sit comfortably in the pop-rock genre, but we get some different flavours of it throughout the EP. Opener Stutter & Stumbling is jazzy. There’s a wholesome timelessness about it that indicates you’re in safe hands from the start.
Aviva’s signature is her frank lyrics, and she wastes no time getting into it. Stutter & Stumbling experts recounts the feeling of struggling to spit something out. The lyrics are delivered with passion and energy. There’s a theatrical sense of storytelling, and plenty of imagery. A fuzzy rock climax is the icing on the cake. There’s a confession and a release of tension.
From there, Head, Heart & Hands slows things down for a laid-back and reflective moment. The theme of (mis)communication flows through, as well as introducing a stuff upper lip deception. Aviva truly has a wonderful way with words.
Une Vie Trip Tranquille simmers with frustration and a need for escape. A soft stripped back first verse gives way to a cantering, classic composition. Things eventually flow over for an unhinged crescendo. I detected an Alison Goldfrapp quality to the vocals and the overall alternativeness.
Kitchen Table brings out the significance of the little things. It rallies for a triumphant chorus, throwing off the shackles of doubt before final highlight Spent Match closes the album with some lively percussion and bright licks of guitar. It leans most heavily into the pop rock genre and is therefore the most accessible.
Lizet Aviva doesn’t feel like just an EP. It’s a diary blending pop, rock and folk while telling us exactly who Liset Aviva is. She’s an exciting artist from whom there’s still plenty to come.
If you want to keep up to date with all she’s doing, you can by heading to her website, and by following her on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Substack.
Lizet Aviva is out now, and you can listen to it below.