It’s devastatingly beautiful and beautifully devastating all at once: A dynamic, captivating mini-album that showcases the very best of 2022’s exceptional artist-to-watch Lyn Lapid.
Still, I can’t help but feel like The Outsider does more than your stereotypical, standard debut EP ever could it’s not a random sampling of Lapid’s best works, but rather a visionary collection of songs that run the gamut in style, sound, and energy cohesive despite their diversity, they come together over a shared message of perseverance, passion, empathy, and inner strength.
It makes sense for Lapid to hold onto the sacred “debut album” title for a few more years. I understand why, from a marketing and even an artistic perspective, The Outsider is being hailed as an extended player and not some kind of shorter long-form piece it is only 24 minutes long, after all – each of its tracks a tight waterfall of emotionally-charged music that envelops the ears, mind, and soul. ‘Comatose’ and ‘Off Day’ actually came together that way.” There were multiple instances where I saw a video or a comment that I thought would be a cool lyric or idea for a song. Also I surprisingly took a bunch of inspiration from TikTok. “It’s kinda hard to explain, but I feel like listening to it makes you feel like you’re floating, and I love when songs do that. “My favorite song off of it is probably ‘Comatose’,” she shares. It’s an inspiring, impassioned set that very clearly comes from Lapid’s heart. Whether you’re rocking along to “Pager” or soaking up the feel-good, sun-soaked vibes of “How Did I Ever,” or even dwelling in the drastic depths of “Comatose,” The Outsider has this inimitable way of filling us up and lifting our spirits to great heights. I hope that anyone who listens to The Outsider knows that there will always be a circle of people who will fully accept who you are, and all you gotta do is go out there and find them.” The other tracks on The Outsider all talk about the different ways I felt like an outsider growing up and how I learned to cut ties with the toxic people in my life and find the ones who continue to support me today. “I learned to stick with the people who truly got behind me and cut ties with anyone who didn’t. “I knew that music was my true passion ever since I little, and eventually I figured I could never win everyone over with the choice I made for myself,” she continues. I grew up in an academically rigorous and competitive community where careers in the fine arts were highly stigmatized and discouraged, so you can imagine the kind of reaction I got when I decided not to go to college and pursue a career as a musician it was kinda awful, and I got a lot of backhanded comments.” “I would best describe The Outsider as a collection of the different parts of myself that I discovered growing up, and how I learned to accept and set myself apart from the community I grew up in and the people I encountered throughout my life,” Lapid tells Atwood Magazine. “The focus track of the EP, ‘Pager,’ perfectly encapsulates that sort of idea I had, and it’s the one track on the EP where I specifically talk about the kind of community I grew up in. Hints of everyone from Billie Eilish and mxmtoon to Tove Lo, Ellie Goulding, and Dua Lipa filter through Lapid’s invigorating songs, but there’s ultimately no denying the singularity of her music: She’s wasted little time over these past two busy years in carving out a space that is hers and hers alone. Vulnerable upheavals and confessional outpourings coalesce with coming-of-age lessons and moments of truth as the eighteen-year-old finds her voice in a pool of electric pop-laced passion and alternative wonder.
There’s a simultaneous intimacy and grandeur to Lyn Lapid’s standout multi-track debut: Billed as an EP, her stunningly cinematic The Outsiderought to be considered a mini-album, especially once one takes into account the range, scope, and clarity achieved throughout its eight enchanting tracks. :: The Outsider EP – Lyn Lapid :: Mitch Mosk, New York This week’s weekly roundup features music by Lyn Lapid, Latto, Alms, Sophia Alexa, Meg Smith, Deathcruiser, Home Is Where, 93FEETOFSMOKE, Haley Johnsen, and Michèle Ducray! Every Friday, Atwood Magazine’s staff share what they’ve been listening to that week – a song, an album, an artist – whatever’s been having an impact on them, in the moment.