New Music: Carly Rae Jepsen

By Kent Wong, September 13 2016 —

Our favorite Canadian pop singer from British Columbia — Carly Rae Jepsen — returns with the EP Emotion: Side B, announced one year after her 2015 release of studio album Emotion. The eight-track EP is the culmination of 17 cut tracks from Emotion that were reworked.

Jepsen fills the EP with familiar synth and blissful love songs. The EP hits the mark with the quintessentially ‘80s “Let’s Get Into a Good Mood,” which is awesome retro-pop candy to the ears. Robert Palmer and Madonna come to mind, but Carly holds her own with the EP.

The EP demonstrates Jepsen’s ability to produce a collection of tracks that don’t take themselves too seriously, without all the fluff you see in a commercial studio album today. With lyrical and emotional depth, the spectrum of the tracks showcase her maturity as an artist.

Tracks like “First Time” offer catchy beats and easy listening that you just might catch yourself singing in the shower, while “The One” and “Fever” contrast the emotions on the album as Jepsen describes wanting to date without committing. My favorite track on the EP is “Higher.” Going back to that upbeat ‘80s, it’s a synth-heavy pop anthem in the form of an uplifting romance track.

The EP is faithful to the title — being attracted or repelled by love is a recurring theme. I didn’t find any tracks that bothered me, which is something I find common on a full-length studio album.

Emotion: Side B focuses its strength on ‘80s love and exceeds. It’s a great set to mark the end of Summer 2016. Fans can look forward to her possibly working on the next studio album, as she concludes her second tour this September.