I just wanna start this review off by saying thank you again to Belle for exposing me to some amazing, new music.

Heads up: this is gonna be glowing.

googly eyes is a music artist that just recently made a deal with Tove Lo‘s label, Pretty Swede Records. This is a huge deal for her, and just in general, because she’s the first artist, other than Tove Lo herself, of course, to be signed on to this record company.

She released her first single, Don’t Forget to Breathe, under this persona back in 2022. However, this is not her first beginning. googly eyes has previously made music using a different alias – Deza – but eventually decided to rebrand herself. This is great news because now I have more music of hers to listen to! It sounds like she’s much prouder of and happier with her work as googly eyes, though.

And now, here we are! Let’s dive in.

googly eyes (which is just so fun to say) is so fresh and new that she doesn’t even have her own Wikipedia page yet. Like I’m the 36th subscriber to her official VEVO page on YouTube. So fasten your f*cking seatbelts. googly eyes’ just getting started.

First, I started off with her latest single, Internet Star. She makes her entrance with a unique sound and raw lyrics about how she tried to be like everyone else to get famous and make it big. Maybe a nod to her previous journey as Deza? Anyhow, she’s realized that this is NOT the way to go, that she deserves better and values her worth much more than fame (which demanded her to compromise who she was), and the beginning of her journey to self-love and discovery is inspiring. This track had an impressive buildup to the beat drop, too.

But it was too short! This is a big complaint of mine about almost all of her songs I reviewed because I’m greedy, but they needed to be longer because I wanted more. I was hooked! I’m wondering if this served more as an intro for her, maybe?

Next, I moved on to Bareback On The Motherfucking Plains, the first track off her EP, Starlet, which dropped September 27th of this year. Again, she peels back the layers of herself with fascination, meticulously analyzing and picking apart her own brain; she likens it to a horse, “a wild one” that needs taming. Her choice to use this metaphor feels like a clever and cheeky nod to the song’s title, implying that her mental state makes her feel like she’s riding bareback. The wild instrumentals got me excited on this one. Honestly, this track reminded me of those from the 2010s, only way more developed. It’s like she took nostalgia and elevated it to another level.

Brand New Bitch is the third track off the EP, following Internet Star as the second, and this womxn just seems to know how to hype me up. googly eyes celebrates a new version of herself through this track that sounds like a joyful chant to womxnhood, proclaiming that growth is beautiful. It gave me Clarity feat. Foxes by Zedd vibes, if y’all remember that pop banger from 2012.

Following that, we have track four titled Steady, where googly eyes switches it up and does not disappoint. This one is beautifully calming and ethereal, and I was blown away. It gave me the sensation of effortlessly traveling through the sky; like, that feeling you get when you look down while on the Soarin’ ride at Epcot. (I promise I was sober when I listened to all of this.)

But with Waste of Conversation, the penultimate track off Starlet, we are calling someone out; as she should. This song was just as soul-touching as Steady, but it had a beat that got me clapping. She even dropped down in her register to hit some lower notes, and phew – girl’s got range. I can’t wait for her music to be used on tv show soundtracks. I can totally see it. I just wish they were all longer! I didn’t want this one to end!!

Lastly, the final track, Starlet Sellout, Pageant Princess, brings this EP to a close. googly eyes did not hold back on this one. In case you had any doubts before – which I don’t know why you would – her talent and range are so, so good and obvious and really showcased in this finale. My mouth fell open at her runs, and I almost teared up. So you know I had to listen to it on loop. She made me want to sing along and harmonize with her. Lyrically, Starlet Sellout, Pageant Princess reminded me of Lizzy McAlpine, and that womxn tears me open, so…high compliment.

I was so sad when this listening experience was over. Overall, googly eyes’ EP, Starlet, felt familiar in the best way without losing that *new* sheen to it; I loved it. Each song had a different theme, but altogether, they meshed and fit so well into one another that they concocted this succinct and particular vibe to the work as a whole. And yet, each track still felt so specifically crafted in its own right.

Her work hasn’t reached the status of my go-to songs yet, but it could. And that’s exciting!

I know I sound like a silly fangirl. I’m sorry. It’s a little embarrassing at times, but I just deeply love music. I feel like it’s one of the few things that keeps me sane. So, I really am honored to be here so early on googly eyes’ career reviewing her work.

She knows her worth, she seems very deserving, and I’m looking forward to what she gives us next.

Rating: 4 googly eyes out of 5