In June, rising pop artist Paulina released “stranger,” which served as an introduction to her upcoming EP. The track was eerie and vulnerable, with Paulina recounting the ways that her ex went from a lover to a stranger. She continues this story on her sophomore EP, everything’s still, which walks us through her breakup. Along with “stranger,” the EP contains “funny (interlude)” and “a song I wrote,” giving us a full range of emotions that Paulina felt as she processed the breakup.
The EP begins with the previously mentioned “stranger,” which finds Paulina at the end of a relationship. Over the soft beats and sinister string riffs, she sings, “Now I’m supposed to move on / And act like there’s nothing wrong,” trying to accept that this person is no longer in her life. On “funny (interlude),” Paulina admits that she can’t escape the lingering feelings and memories that she has of this person. Accompanied by racing pop beats that drive the track along, her energy builds the more the song progresses. It’s as if she is getting more powerful with each lyric, even though she gives us lines like, “I’m trying / To escape / But I’d be lying / If I said I didn’t miss your face.” Paulina then finds the light on “a song I wrote,” which closes the EP. The resonant melodies and brighter vocals indicate that she is now in a place of acceptance and will not be held down by the breakup any longer. Paulina finally confronts this person by asking, “Now I wanna know / Did your sister ask how I’m doing?” and sharing, “I didn’t want it to end like this / But you made your bed and lied in it.” In the end, she has the final say as she closes this chapter of her life.
About everything’s still, Paulina explains,
“The title of my EP, ‘everything’s still,’ was inspired by one of my favorite Noah Kahan songs, ‘The View Between Villages.’ The closing line of the song, ‘and everything’s still,’ really resonated with me. It feels so uplifting, like it’s the moment you can finally breathe again. That’s how making this EP made me feel; I wanted to embody that feeling.”
You can listen to everything’s still on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
