Hailee Steinfeld is one of many (many, many, many) actresses who have tried their hand at a music career, in a move to establish more of a musical personality. Several reviewers have dismissed her debut EP as unoriginal and presenting a confusing image of her as a musical artist, but I disagree with them. Although there is a mix of ballads and upbeat songs on this EP (as there should be), the EP gives a nice taste of Steinfeld's musical style, moreso than her debut single did.
- Love Myself - This is one of those songs that you just can't not have an opinion on. The comment section for its music video, Twitter feeds of music critics and consumers and articles online are full of debates over whether it's classy or way too taboo for radio, and Steinfeld herself has dodged the question of whether it's really about "loving yourself" in the sexual way. It's certainly catchy, and I'd go as far as to even call it a clever concept, but was maybe not the best choice of a single. 6/10
- You're Such A - I spent a while trying to figure out why I liked this one so much (aside from the obvious, that sassy songs tend to be my guilty pleasure) and finally did. It's catchy, but a kind of catchy that doesn't get annoying after many plays, thanks to a chorus with actual lyrics. (Looking at you, Shake It Off.) It's another song that treads the line between risky and too explicit, but a lot more successfully than Love Myself did. 8/10
- Rock Bottom - There are some really beautiful lyrics in this one, but it doesn't really hit home as well as it could. I generally dislike comparisons of female artists, but in general, comparing this with other similarly emotional ballads like Hello by Adele, Clean by Taylor Swift or Photograph by Ed Sheeran, it just doesn't match up. This isn't so surprising - she's just starting off as a songwriter, and there's certainly room for improvement. 8/10
- Hell Nos and Headphones - I've heard comparisons of this song to Alessia Cara's Here, and sure, it's similar, but that's certainly not a reason to discount it. It's a completely different musical genre, and takes a much different and less cynical attitude to the party. Steinfeld's voice is beautiful and works well with the background music, and honestly, we need way more anti-party anthems. 10/10
Album Rating: 8/10
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