bülow, The Contender EP Review
Exploding pop star bülow is ready to take the next step with the release of her new EP, The Contender.
The 19-year-old is already having a big year, including her Juno win as 2019 Breakthrough Artist of the Year. And now she’s got a new five-song collection to share with the world as she continues to build her legend. Add that to her tour dates from festivals in Germany and the Netherlands to North American dates with Lauv, and there’s no denying that this is quickly becoming bülow’s world and we’re all just living in it.
The EP’s lead single, Boys Will Be Boys is less than a month old and already has more than 1.1 million streams on Spotify and another 70,000+ plays on YouTube.
What we’ve had confirmed for us again on The Contender, is that Megan Bülow is an exceptional songwriter. She takes a real life feeling, gets it all right out into the song, and gets that pop hook and vibe that makes us want to dive in and come back for more. It’s been her calling card since we first heard her a few short years ago. But at just 19, she’s already one to watch for what she continues to do on the writing side of production alone.
From track to track, The Contender takes us where we want to go next. From “you can pay what you want, but you’re never gonna own me” on Own Me off the top to “what the fuck you fall in love for? couldn’t I have been enough for ya?” on Upside Down, there’s no holding back on getting to the point. And if you want to hear the most savage lyric of the fall, start with “I’m going all-white to your funeral, if you think I’m gonna cry you’re delusional” on Boys Will Be Boys.
As we’ve said about other EPs, our only gripe is that we want more. These five songs are each the right length for themselves, but the entire EP clocks in at 14 minutes, and we really really wish there was more. Instead, we’ll just roll these new songs into the tracks we already love from bülow’s early career and listen to them as she prepares whatever she’s got coming next.
When bülow released Crystalline in April of this year we said that she was on an extraordinary trajectory and was ahead of the game. We stand by it and are ready to double down.
Related: bülow, Crystalline Album Review
The Contender is a straight shot of what we love from bülow into our bodies through our ears. It’s pop without bubblegum. It’s dark without despair. It’s easy to play on repeat to extend the listening experience. And at the very end you get a curveball with Sundress. It’s the surprise ending we didn’t see coming, but are all-in on.
Hit play now and enjoy. And stay tuned for more from bülow, we’d bet on hearing a lot more from her!
bülow, The Contender Tracklist
1. Own Me
2. Boys Will Be Boys
3. Puppy Love (ft. Jimi Somewhere)
4. Upside Down
5. Sundress
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