NYRE, a name that might conjure up images of a misplaced Scrabble tile, delivers something far more resonant than random letters with their new EP, “Avoidant.” It’s a four-track dive into the deep end of heartbreak, the kind that leaves you feeling like you’ve accidentally swallowed a handful of gravel and regret. I can’t help but think of those old grainy black and white photos, you know, the ones that make sadness look so…chic? Yes, like that, but audible.
The release doesn’t tiptoe; it jumps right in, flailing beautifully. First we are met with the uncomfortably raw “It Should Be You.” A declaration that smacks of possessive rage, and not the ‘hot’ kind you see in the movies but more like the kind of simmering internal monologue that would make a great bad dream. Then, “Joke’s on Me” shimmers in, feeling like that moment when you finally notice the puppet strings and realise the puppeteer was never on your side. Each note feels like an admission, like a quiet apology to some version of your past self. Is it dramatic? Absolutely. Necessary? Even more so. I recall the time my left sock just vanished and left its single right sock friend heartbroken, somehow these songs hit me the same way.
“You Didn’t Mean It,” rises, from a puddle of self-pity into a defiant splash of independence. It’s that point where you begin to see yourself not as a broken piece, but a whole different puzzle entirely, and those past pieces no longer quite fit. We then get the unexpected jab of “Main Character”, which oddly feels like an old friend you catch at a bus stop and realize you never truly understood, behind the big grin and confident step, lies something sadder, something fragile. It’s the sound of wanting applause so badly, you almost forget why you were on the stage. Like watching someone trying to build a sandcastle in the rain.
Musically, it’s cinematic pop, haunting, and full of those breathy, soulful vocals that make you feel both utterly exposed and strangely safe. This isn’t the kind of music you passively listen to; it’s a conversation – sometimes awkward, sometimes heartbreaking, but always profoundly human. It reminds me a little of what it must feel like to wake up in someone else’s dream. “Avoidant” is a journey, yes, but more than that, it’s a question mark that hangs in the air long after the last note has faded. A question I think we should all ponder.
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