Toronto pop artist RALPH is back with a new EP, Flashbacks & Fantasies with six songs and more than enough bounce to get you moving.
The songstress is open and honest about the music she makes, in her own words it's music you can dance to. And on Flashbacks & Fantasies, just like her 2018 album, A Good Girl, she does exactly that. It's no surprise, but for me, it starts with Gravity, her most recent single. It's a bop that pairs her lyrics and voice with a strong musical track to go with it. It beats and grooves and moves for three-and-a-half minutes of pop-soul-disco-synth bliss.
When we talked to RALPH in the spring while she was on tour with Scott Helman, she told us that, " it's always been really important for me to write music that connects with the listeners on more of a personal, emotional spectrum. " It looks and feels like she's done that again on her new EP.
Related: Girl Next Door - RALPH Interview & 5 Quick QuestionsFlashbacks & Fantasies does a lot of the same and more with No Fuss No Muss, Last Time, Headphone Season, Looking For You, and Sunday Girl. In a quote accompanying the release of the EP, RALPH said, "I liked the idea of experimenting and surprising people... Instead of being scared to try new things, like having a jarring rhythm or singing about sexy moments, I embraced them. And because of that, I have 6 songs that all feel diverse but feel really, truly ME." We are always, always happy to hear that an artist feels like they were able to follow their own path and made the music they want to make. And knowing that RALPH feels this way about her new EP is a plus.
It's also a plus and something we can mention because the EP works. It's good. It's a start-to-finish listen that is never boring and always moving. In an online bio we're told that RALPH "spent much of her childhood covered in facial glitter and feather boas, singing along to Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Prince, and The Temptations," and that isn't a surprise at all when we hear her music and imagine her in the same glitter and boas singing No Fuss No Muss or Looking For You.
Flashbacks & Fantasies is pop experimentation. It's RALPH not being afraid to try something out of left field. It's fresh. It's strong. It's somehow both what we expected and unexpected at the same time. It's a more than solid follow-up to A Good Girl, and we won't be surprised if it finds the same audience connection online and on stage that those songs have.
Related: RALPH, A Good Girl Album ReviewHere's a quick shout out to Headphone Season. It's a powerful track packed with lyrics that too many women will identify with and that too many men need to take to heart. "I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not here for pleasin', You think you're smooth and subtle, I've got my headphones on for a reason" And while we're listening to RALPH tell the truth and lay it out, it also slaps. We're very here for it. "Do it I dare you, One more time, Tell me to smile"
There's another thing we've gotten used to when it comes to RALPH - a busy tour schedule. And the afterglow of the release, she's hitting the road again. First, she'll play on Thursday, December 5 in Toronto at the Mod Club, and then she heads to the US for a sold-out show in NYC before joining joan for a run of 19 American dates starting in February. But that's not all. After she's done south of the border, RALPH comes back to Canada and heads west for shows in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. It's going to be a busy winter for her. And fans should be ready to hear the new music when she takes the stage.
Visit songsbyralph.com for a full list of dates and to get tickets!
In just under 20 minutes, RALPH lays it out and shares the EP we've been waiting for since she told us she was working on it back in March. Now it's here, we've been listening over and over, and we're ready to see her play it live, and for whatever comes next.
Now, hit play on the stream. Listen to the six tracks. Watch the brand new video for No Fuss No Muss. And leave a comment telling us what you think of Flashbacks & Fantasies.
RALPH, Flashbacks & Fantasies Tracklist
