Indie singer-songwriter Blair Lee released her debut EP, The Puppy Game, on December 2, 2022.
Named after a game she played with her cousins and siblings as kids, this five song EP is a reflection on growing up. Lee explores her inner child with lyrics describing the freedom of creation and expression through a childlike lens.
Throughout the EP, ethereal vocals and harmonies feel like a cool breeze. It’s the feeling of flipping through your middle school journal and reminiscing on how the child you were shaped who you are.
The Puppy Game EP opens with “Hurdles,” diving right into the mixed emotions of growing old and growing out of childhood simplicity. These abstract feelings are so eloquently described with lyrics like “we’re all getting older but some of us are closer to heaven.” This song notes one of the harder parts of growing up is the reality that the people around us are growing old too.
In “Peachy World,” Lee takes us through a story of a sweet infatuation of the past and the realization that she no longer needs the comfort that person once gave her. She asks herself if she can really take on the future without this person, and this questioning builds into a sunny and hopeful chorus. There’s no fear of the future when there’s “a peachy world inside my head.”
“Flower Mind” describes a jealousy or admiration of people who are just “on” all the time. How is it possible some people have such a magnetic personality and make it all seem so easy? Lee wonders how she can do the same. She says, “Hold onto my flower mind. Feed it water and sunlight” and “I’m not so dull.” She leans into the brightness in her own personality. I heard this as a lesson in holding onto the pieces of you that you love instead of focusing on how others present themselves. “It makes a difference when you try.” The themes from “Flower Mind” bleed into “All Day.” It’s a soft anthem for being yourself and coloring the world around you with your own passions.
The Puppy Game closes with “Last Bite” which explores the duality of “the beauty and pain of life.” It’s a fitting ending to an EP centered on growing up and the inner child. It’s the acceptance that life and death exist together every day, and new beginnings can only exist with death of the past.
Watch the official music video for “Last Bite” above.
All in all, The Puppy Game is a sincere reflection of growing up but never growing out of your inner child. It’s a lesson in allowing yourself to grow and create without boundaries while staying true to the child you’ve always been.
