Shaed - MELT (2018)

SHAED first came onto my radar last year when I saw them open for Bishop Briggs. I was not really sure what to expect from them because they had an intriguing stage set-up: a keyboard on the left side of the stage, another on the right, and a mic stand in the middle. As I was waiting for them to come on stage, I was looking at that set-up and trying to figure out what they had up their sleeve. Once they got up there and started performing, I was shook. They were the second opening act, but you would have thought that they were the headliner because they were so phenomenal.

The EP goes by pretty fast, but the songs that grabbed my attention the most were “You Got Me Like,” “Trampoline,” and “Keep Calling.” In “You Got Me Like,” Chelsea describes the perfect afternoon with her lover. The track also features indie artist, snny, who further expands on the idea of being young and in love. The song that follows “You Got Me Like” is “Trampoline,” which gives off a completely different vibe. It is a little dark, as it explores the idea of falling in love with disaster. The most haunting part of the song is the chorus: “Wait, if I’m on fire, how am I so deep in love? When I dream of dying, I never feel so loved.” On “Keep Calling,” we have a contrast of happy music and not-so-happy lyrics. While the song sounds very warm, it is actually a little gloomy, describing a situation in which someone yearns to be back in a relationship with someone that they know is a mistake.