Missouri native Halle Kearns first came to many country fans' attention with her debut EP, ‘Finally', released in 2020. Since then she's racked up over 11 million TikTok views, 21 million global streams and over 80,000 Instagram followers. After performing at CMA Fest earlier this month, now she's back with her third project, ‘Quarter Life Crisis', the follow-up to her 2022 EP ‘Every Girl'.
The six-track EP opens with ‘Clothes On The Line', a twangy, retro number which sees Kearns musing on the nostalgic pleasures of her younger years, like ‘Coppertone skin' and paying '50 cents for an ice cream cone'. She packs the song full of vivid details that create a hazy, shimmering feel and pair beautifully with the dreamy melody, and her vocals are full of warmth as well as a touch of huskiness. It's a gorgeous start to the project and very much puts you in a summery frame of mind – I defy anyone listening to this not to feel at least a little wistful for their lost summers.
One thing which stands out to me throughout the project is Kearns' mix of styles. There's evidence of her sassy, playful side on the stomping ‘The Boot' as she sings about a ‘John Wayne that you're always on the fence about' who's not willing to commit and ‘all snake no rattle', as well as cheeky references to artists like the Chicks and Jon Pardi. Elsewhere, ‘Homemade Margaritas' considers the vibe of celebrating the simple things with its driving, swaggering melody providing a lovely contrast to Kearns' gliding vocals, and has summertime anthem written all over it.
For me Kearns' strongest moments come on some of the slower numbers. ‘High School Friends' sees her getting vulnerable as she confronts the feeling of everyone else moving on with their lives whilst ‘most likely to succeed is still hanging on for me'. It's a really raw moment that captures the feeling of being under pressure to make something of yourself and Kearns does a great job of bringing out the anxiety and nervousness of the lyrics. I also loved ‘Settlin' Kind', an upbeat love song with Kearns no longer ‘running from whatever slows me down' and making a commitment to her lover. Even though it's an idea that's not exactly new in country music, she gives it a fresh feel and there's a sweet, romantic quality to her delivery that elevates it beyond the norm.
The EP closes with ‘Carries Me', a gentle acoustic-led number that sees Kearns in spiritual mode. Despite the reverence in her tone and gospel vibes from the backing vocal, there's a lightness of touch that stops it tipping into being overtly religious – it could quite easily pass for a love song on first listen. That's not the easiest thing to do and Kearns' ability to show restraint whilst also being open about her faith is admirable.
Overall Halle Kearns has delivered a solid EP in ‘Quarter Life Crisis' that shows her talents as a songwriter as well as her ability to turn her hand to a wide range of styles. I feel like she's continued to grow with every new project she releases and it's great to see her blossoming and coming into her own as an artist. She's definitely carving out a very exciting path for herself and I'm intrigued to see where she might go from here.
Track listing: 1. Clothes On The Line 2. The Boot 3. High School Friends 4. Homemade Margaritas 5. Settlin' Kind 6. Carries Me Record label: HMK Music Release date: 21st June 2024
