On her newest EP notes from the in between, kenzie dives deep into the silent areas that lie down under. Inspired by a profound emotional truthfulness, the project doesn’t come across as just another EP; it instead feels like getting to read her personal journal.
The first thing that comes into focus is the emotional nature that surrounds the EP. There isn’t anything dramatic in the songs — it seems like Kenzie was going for intimacy, almost as if all she wanted was to share her actual thoughts and feelings with no exaggerations.
One of the most memorable songs is “time machine,” which is arguably among the project’s most introspective and emotional tracks. kenzie reflects on herself with a tinge of nostalgia, remorse and empathy. She opens the song with hard-hitting lyrics: “If I had a time machine / I’d go back to Pittsburgh springs / find myself four-foot-two rhinestone shoes / watch for a little while / run around in my backyard / where I learned to wish on stars / dance around the princess room / without a clue for a little while before I knew everything I know.”
As the song goes on, the reflections turn more specific as she touches upon memories of the awkwardness of adolescence, such as “falling down the in-betweens” and “craving attention, never getting it,” until finally coming to a point of accepting what happened. The lyric “the flower bloomed, I never saw it grow,” serves as an example of how difficult it is to be in the present during growth and maturation. In the end, however, it all turns into acceptance: “If I had a time machine, I would never change a thing.”
The concepts of change, identity, and emotional instability play a constant role in the songs, further emphasizing the sense of being “in between”—neither where one was before nor where one will be going. And yet, it is precisely this ambiguity that lends the EP its power. kenzie offers vocal renditions that appear to be understated but are emotionally powerful. She maintains a conversational style when singing the tunes, making them appear more personal than anything else.
In the end, notes from the in between becomes something that reflects the nature of nostalgia, where not only is she looking back with fondness, but also asking herself what was left behind, what was gained from it, and how all of it has affected the present. Throughout all these songs, there’s an understanding of how fleeting the moments truly are and how seldom people realize that they are growing. This uncertainty is actually embraced by kenzie, making sure that the feelings are kept open and unfinished.
