is here with a brand new EP and more proof than we need that the future of music is in good, talented, strong hands.
Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla are both still teenagers, but are already on their second EP, are veterans of the stage and songwriting camps and choirs and all kind of developmental and challenging steps in a career. But if you didn't know that these two musicians and songwriters were still on their way to turning 20, you'd never know it by listening to their music.
Their songwriting and sound are polished and mature and there's depth and intent that gives it weight and hits in a great spot. On their Facebook 'About' they describe themselves as "quirky, dreamy, feminist indie folk" and we're here for that. These two young women know what they want to say and how they want to sound, and on Better Daughter proved that by self-producing the six-song EP (with assistance from Guillermo Subauste and with Vance Powell on Two Timer).
Across six songs and almost 20 minutes, Moscow Apartment combines sophisticated lyrics, sweet sounds and musicianship, and an indie pop-rock vibe that goes from soft and sweet to electric guitar-driven as it flows through the speakers.
Last spring, I interviewed Juno-winner Kerri Ough (The Good Lovelies) and we played a round of 5 Quick Questions. When we got to the last question asking for her recommendation of an artist to listen to, she picked Moscow Apartment and said this, "I love what these two young women are writing... they are 16 and 17 now, and writing some really sophisticated pop. I think it's great and I hope people are listening to them." That put Moscow Apartment on our radar, where they should be.
In the lead-up to the EP's release, the duo released Halfway, Meredith Palmer, New Girl, and Two Timer as singles. Now that the full Better Daughter EP is here we also get to hear Awful People and 18. And they all stand out. Personally, I'm already all in and playing New Girl on repeat and I'm big into Two Timer as rounds out the EP.
New Girl is one of the songs that makes it hard to embrace the fact that these songwriters and singers are teenagers. About the song, Pascale Padilla says, "It's about sexual assault, it's about being catcalled, misogyny, you name it. It's kind of just about rape culture and how normal and widely accepted it is. And honestly, the internalization of rape culture. We're getting into some feminist shit right now." - that is some feminist shit and it's some big shit to put in a song, and it's fantastic to see. It's also another example of Gen Z leading the way to change, bringing up real and important issues and putting them in the spotlight. The kids are alright.
Two Timer (co-written with award-winning and acclaimed songwriter Dave Thomson) has the electric guitar and rhythm section and the vocal performance all together in a perfect combination of indie rock and I'm here for it. The blending of Brighid and Pascale's voices across the EP is great and it works as well as I could have ever hoped on Two Timer. Turn it up and play it twice.
As Moscow Apartment, Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla are impressively talented, and I like the Better Daughter EP and I'm impressed with their talent and I'm not alone. The industry continues to embrace them as an important piece of the current musical landscape and of the future. And while we can't wait to see what that future may bring, for now, I'm hitting play on these six songs, and I think you should too.
Moscow Apartment, Better Daughter Tracklist
