Actually: 7.5
“Maybe I’m a mess, I think that I’m depressed.
Sometimes it’s the best that I can do to just get out of my bed. I’m still a wreck, the last time I checked. Maybe I just gotta realize that this is…
fuck whatever”
After ten years of Mowgli’s magic, former front-man Colin Dieden is branching out and striking big on his own. He just released the first EP, Every Second, from his new solo project Little Hurt. This EP shows raw honest vulnerability and an intimate insight into Dieden’s inner workings, while making us wish we were dancing in a crowded concert venue with our fists in the air…but like, without the pandemic. It’s upbeat and boppy but with a twist.
In Every Second, Dieden takes us on a journey, detailing what depression looks and feels like to him. With each song, we’re progressively granted access to different aspects of what’s really going on inside his mind. The EP starts with poppy hand claps and glistening synths on the first track “Alaska”, where we meet our protagonist stuck in a rut, not knowing what to do. This is before he recognizes his need for better love (though not yet that he needs it from himself) in “Better Drugs”.
As we listen on, we feel his frustration and hopelessness reflected in driving beats paired with happy-go-lucky melody lines that weave their way throughout the EP. On “It’s Ok Not to Be Ok” we learn that while it’s ok for someone else not to be ok, we don’t always internalize that message. With steady guitar lines leading to laid back rhythms, “I Don’t Wanna Be Here” takes us to a vibey party where we feel the guilt over having immense privilege and still being unhappy. Every Second ends with the track “Messed Up”, where we finally see the beginnings of the work needed to manage depression in reflections on how we sometimes have trouble trusting people who love us.
Every Second has an interesting way of matching the sentiment of the songs without being morose. This EP feels like so many of us, trying to navigate out in the real world with smiles for days while hiding our inner struggles—especially when growing up in a society that teaches depression makes you a “better artist”. This release is both new and familiar. With almost every song featuring some type of crowd chorus, it feels like the Fun. era—where every song was an anthem—paired with surprise elements like cute horn lines in “Alaska” that make you feel like you’re vacationing on a beach in Spain, and carefree whistling in “Good As It Gets”. While it could be more sparing with the shouting, Every Second is really fun.
Buy it, stream it, or skip it? You’re definitely going to want to stream it and feel all the feels!