The desert can be an eerie, desolate place, but also very beautiful and deep. The Last Arizona, songwriter Emma Hartman’s solo project, managed to bottle that feeling and pour it into her EP Forever and Always.
Released June 24 of this year, the asembly of tracks appeals to the sensitive, thoughtful part buried in all of us that may have been lost due to the turmoil we all have faced the past few months.
Forever and Always opens up with “S15E7”, an interestingly tonal track with a soft breakdown at the end that builds up and comes back down just in time for vocalist to come back in with a bright ending vocal. It continues on with “Alive”, a personal favorite due to its low but prevalent intensity and bass line. Next is “August”, a slow ballad with an airy vocal that could easier be soothing after a long day.
“Forever and Always”, the title track, is a 1 minute spoken word ditty with a message: be thankful to be here. The EP ends with “First Time”, putting the listener in the dreamy, echoey world of the band for one last time.
Overall, the EP is well done, heavy without slamming guitars and roaring riffs, and eloquent. I have a deep respect for the amount of care put into this, and would be obliged to hear more.
