Having discovered Cece Coakley late in 2022 following her debut EP, Tender, you could say I’ve come to have a soft spot for her music. Cece’s music is laced with sweet vocals, guitar driven presentation, and colorful production, but it’s really her songwriting that keeps me coming back for more. Her June release “Halfway” has been leading the field on the soundtrack to my summer in the most sweet yet scathing way. In a song that’s about feeling stuck, our narrator has a comforting way of bringing the listener in, sitting them down, and making them feel welcome before presenting the story. How can I be so perfectly placed in a soothing frame of mind when I’m singing along to the lyric, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder, but I hate me less when you’re not here.” When a song hits just right both musically and lyrically, you find a sweet spot that becomes hard to describe but delightful to keep coming back to and I believe Cece’s struck this chord just right.
On her second single this year, ‘Happy Adjacent,’ she strips it back even more, but hasn’t ceased the excellent storytelling. “Why is there a ‘but’ on the end of every positive statement I make,” she asks, as the song swells and recedes like a deep breath. Our intro flows seamlessly into a moving refrain that proclaims, “when my life starts I won’t be late,” which is way too fascinating of a lyric not to make it the title of a playlist. It’s exciting to catch an artist like this on the rise and starting to tour as well (Minneapolis next time around?). You can listen here on Garrett’s Finds and follow along for more reviews on Barely Everything Blog!
For fans of: main character energy, soft pop, singer/songwriter, Lizzy McAlpine, Noah Kahan, etc.
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