EP Review: “So Much to Say” by Daisy Grenade
by Brittany Davis
Alternative-pop duo Daisy Grenade are back with their third EP So Much To Say. Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittaker are powerhouse vocalists harmonizing together and bringing out each other’s strengths in the album. This band is known for their angst with a sprinkle of sugar, spice, and everything nice between. They explore elements of heartbreak, rage, the good and bad of aspects in girlhood. A Beautiful Woman Is A Weapon, I Guess That’s Why They Call Her A Bombshell slams out the gates with harsh drum fills followed by loud whinny guitar leads as the duo takes turns bantering back and forth over the reality of hiding underlining unhappy feelings in femininity with lyrics, “Put your weapons up against a wall of self-obsession, sliding back into a deep depression, a beauty when she’s numb,” and “Bombshell I’m a switchblade straight to the throat.” This track is perfectly designed to be the ear-worm of the record to bring in attention to the listener.
Bitterness, envy, and hardship are all wrapped up in a pretty packed punch with track Emily. The back and forth relationship on this track expresses how someone was once admired and has become a person they can’t stand. The digs in this track are fun, vengeful bites about Emily’s true personality in the other’s eyes. “Dear Emily, I hope this email finds you well. Remember when you told me I should burn in hell? Well, I just got back and guess what? You’re first on my list.” The track opens with a loud guitar riff, with the other instruments crashing in with the explosive pop punk angst, surely an easy song to get stuck in your head.
Being a girl on the road can not be easy and the duo express that in the track Girls Are So Lucky. Sonically, this is the first shift in the album, giving off early Michelle Branch vibes with an acoustic guitar, and a backing drum pad being the main contributors to this storytelling, then towards the end, the vibes shift to electric hyper-pop mixed in with Charli XCX vibes. Being a cool and powerful girl in the alternative world can be tiresome. The duo give examples throughout the song like asking if “you’re the girlfriend, or are you with the band?” Not only that, but the hardships of issues with vans, getting ready in the car or venue bathrooms, sleeping on floors, running off pure adrenaline, and energy drinks. “Full glam in a mini van I get my kicks from a Redbull can. I can’t pay our rent, we don’t give a damn. So lucky girls are so lucky.” is a standout line when you’re on the road. The car is basically your home; Throughout all this there’s still so much joy deep down otherwise it wouldn’t be part of the lifestyle.
Winding down with a soft acoustic light drum tempo is the track Rent To Own; this track highlights the vocals so softly with how they want someone to accept them for who they are with their personal insecurities and “flaws.” There’s such raw emotion about wanting a trial run on a relationship like a car “my judgment is cooked like a radiator on a 2001 Honda Civic. For $2,000 bucks she’s the ride of your dreams until your breaks fail, you make bail, and ditch it” and “heard you talk shit about my crooked teeth. I'm not surprised, after all, they’re the first thing you see. I shut my mouth when I smile, wire my jaw if it means you’ll stay for a while.” The comparison to a slightly difficult car because of its characteristics to the value of someone else’s perception about you makes this song so gritty; it’s a heart-wrenching song because you put some trust into someone who can’t see what you’re truly valued for the person you are. This song has the undertone of wanting to be deserved despite your flaws, and you want someone to invest in you the way you would for them.
The final song, It Must Be Me, has bits and pieces from all the previous songs, from opening with electronic keys to finishing out with the girls classic pop alternative sound. The song opens up with a voicemail being left on the phone stating there’s still so much to say which is the song being played. The overcoming of many haunting complex feelings when it boils down to a failed relationship wondering if the blame is on you, not understanding why it ended the way it did, and of course missing someone, but figuring out you are better off without them. You still try to hold on to the fragment pieces you have of the relationship until you find the soft build to this ballad of clarity. “An open wound, you never leave. It must be me.” The ending of this track is the realization that you never needed them all along because they weren’t worth it for you. So Much To Say lives up to its name, with the duo tackling many complex emotions as they share memories and moments with the audience. Daisy Grenade is a fierce duo built off authenticity, vulnerability, and relatability which always has their fans carving more.
For fans of: Charlotte Sands, LOLO, Honey Revenge, Winona Fighter, The Maine, and State Champs.
