EP REVIEW: Pet Snake - Hard (Easy Versions)

Under the shiny new alias of Pet Snake, singer-songwriter Evelyn Halls is carving her own path into the Indie Folk mountain with her latest EP ‘Hard (Easy Versions)’. It is a sentimentally uncouth exposè of beautiful sadness that takes the bones of her 2024 EP 'Hard' and informs it with fragile, stripped-back instrumentals and stellar vocal work.

Pet Snake’s four-track acoustic offering stands away from her musical experiences on vocals and keys as part of Merseyside's own Clean Cut Kid. Laden with emotional storytelling and well-curated elements of guitar and piano, the EP is richly powerful and oozes with truly skillful songwriting power.

Introducing the EP with ‘Getting Older’ lays down the groundwork for Evelyn Hall’s exploration into the fleeting nature of youth, which progresses throughout each track as they tell tales of trust, loss and unexpectedness. An introspective and mellow sonic nature provides a somber backing to her gentle vocal work - packed with power, reflecting on the art of letting go and moving along.

Evelyn Hall’s nuanced lyrical sentiment flows into the middle tracks of the EP, offering a sense of literary vulnerability alongside tear-provoking acoustics almost akin to the likes of Boygenius and Clairo. Inspirations stemming from the Indie Folk scene are dynamically layered to produce a rich warmth in each track.

‘Trust Issues’ provides a heartbreaking closure to a run of gently-sung stories encased in heightened emotions and poignant instrumentals. The final track lures listeners in with a brighter, radiant soundscape, but upholds Pet Snake’s signature sonic style. It serves as a cathartic and unflinching balance between grungy Pop influences and classic Indie Folk instrumental haze. 

Her vocals shimmer delectably to round off the EP, offering up a thought-provoking credit scene to a well-rounded run of whispering stories. Evelyn Halls is clearly taking her new path in her stride, opening up her heart as she goes along to truly examine the brief nature of human existence and the emotions existing alongside life.