It’s hard to know when you’re saying too much. To open her newest EP, RAGE, LA-based artist Maddy Davis is unashamedly confessional: “The last time that I was in love was a couple of summers ago,” she begins, her voice bravely masking the sting behind the story to come. While free-falling into loving nostalgia over this relationship, her monologue is cut short, abruptly transitioned into the title track. A dainty guitar sets a barren landscape that Davis enters into with a bit more cynicism than she had on the previous track. A boost of adrenaline is offered in unison with drums, with Davis becoming more convicted in her position towards her past partner. “It’s the kind of love that’ll hurt someday,” she declares to end the chorus, leaving the listener with the impression that she is already living in that someday. 

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“Stop To Watch The Painting Dry” carries the momentum of “RAGE” with Davis smoldering over subtle differences that are amplified through miscommunication. Here, Davis finds a balance between frustration and empathy, desperate for understanding but tired of making concessions, a conflict expertly conveyed in the production and performance of the track. The EP’s resolution rests in “Goodbye For Now,” a grumbling, definitive statement for the moment that sees Davis almost immediately seeking a path back to her ex: “Goodbye for now / Just don’t you leave me lonely for too long,” she repeats, making the decision she knows she must but noncommittal to its lifespan. Her voice perfectly holds the emotions of relief and regret, employing both at just the right times. 

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RAGE closes in a similar manner to how it began, weirdly with more urgency than the introduction provided. The production is nearly cheery – certainly dancy and a bit revelatory – as Davis recounts another love lost through tragic circumstances. Here, though, she appears enlightened with clarity: “I wish I could go back and not be sad about a fucking boy,” she reveals, seemingly finding peace with the inevitability of heartbreak. As the song reaches its apex, Davis’s voice appears in liberated sequences, providing optimism to end an otherwise ambivalent project. 

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Alongside each single for the EP, Davis released an interview series around the topics explored in the music, all providing more context to Davis’s songwriting across RAGE. The New Jersey-born artist now has 3 EPs under her belt, each one showcasing her development within her artistry. Along with being featured as a vocalist on Vince Staples’s Dark Times track “Nothing Matters,” Davis has made an impression in 2024 with the releases that make up RAGE, a multi-dimensional project that brings joy, pain, frustration, conflict, and clarity together with care - though not exactly in that order. 

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