Eighteen-year-old alternative pop singer-songwriter Whitney Bjerken unveils her new EP, Mental Gymnastics, inspired by a mix of genres and artists. Suffused with dark yet dynamic energy, it seamlessly blends melancholic tunes with upbeat vibes.
Bjerken explains, “‘Mental Gymnastics’ is a 7-song alternative pop EP. I took inspiration from a few different artists and genres. The energy is overall dark sonically but has a mixture of sad tracks and more upbeat and vibey tracks. The songs can be interpreted differently depending on who’s listening but, I wrote the majority of these lyrics when I was falling out of love with my childhood sport. At the time I was tired, in pain, and terrified of the future. I felt like I was failing not only myself but everyone around me. This EP means a lot to me because it shares what I was feeling when I felt trapped, and I was able to turn what I went through into art that I’m proud of.”
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Bjerken began writing songs after receiving a ukelele when she was 12. She started taking songwriting seriously at the age of 16. Citing influences such as The Beatles, Elton John, Billie Eilish, Labrinth, FINNEAS, and Lizzy McAlpine, her goal is to play live on tour as an opener and one day be a headliner.
Mental Gymnastics opens with “illusion,” a low-slung, dark track, dripping with ghostly surfaces akin to the enticing tones of a beckoning Siren. Soft and evocative, Bjerken’s lusciously spectral voice imbues the lyrics with mysterious timbres.
High points include the delicate “gears,” featuring a drifting pop melody topped by Bjerken’s warm, luxurious vocals, at once elusive and sighingly graceful, imbuing the lyrics with exquisite aromas. A personal favorite because of its subtle gliding flow, the melancholic “i’ll drown” travels on prismatic textures as Bjerken’s voice infuses the lyrics with elegiac colors.
“entity” ties the EP off, revealing an undulating, throbbing rhythm and resonating harmonic layers that take on elevated intensity, full of shadows and gleaming, oozing inflections. A low, wailing guitar solo gives the song focused passion as Bjerken’s voice imbues the lyrics with edgy, ethereal sensations.
Highlighted by the wickedly affecting voice of Whitney Bjerken, Mental Gymnastics is an EP of grand consequence.
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