The long-awaited EP from New Zealand-Los Angeles singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and sessioneer Lisa Crawley is here at last. New Girl Syndrome collects four excellent songs and leaves us begging for more.
Release Date: 25th April 2025
Label: Self Release
Formats: Digital
WE’VE HAD THE PREVIEWS…
We’ve had a couple of enticing sneaky previews of this one and, I’ll tell you what… New Girl Syndrome, the new EP form LA-via-New Zealand singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and sessioneer Lisa Crawley is every bit as wonderful as we’d been led to believe. And more.
It was back in mid-March when we came across the EP’s lead single, What You Can Do, and we loved it, calling it: “A triumph… rich and sophisticated, giving prominence to Lisa’s vocals and lyrical message.” Follow-up single, The Gatekeeper, released in early April, was, perhaps, more ‘upfront’ than ‘sophisticated,’ but it’s no less triumphant than its predecessor, and it left us thirsting for more.
WE LIKE WHAT WE’VE HEARD – AND WE WANT MORE!
And, now, here’s the main attraction at last. New Girl Syndrome is a four-track EP. It’s excellent and the question that springs immediately to my mind is: “Is a full-length album in the pipeline?” Because I want more.
Hailing from New Zealand and now resident in Los Angeles, Lisa Crawley has built a career that spans multiple continents. She’s received four APRA Silver Scroll Award nominations and she’s a veteran of countless live performances, including slots opening for, amongst others, Suzanne Vega, John Mayer, Paul Weller and Simply Red. Lisa has built a solid reputation for producing emotionally rich songs with sophisticated melodies that blend vulnerability with charm. New Girl Syndrome will, without doubt, enhance that reputation.
THE CHARM HAS GROWN…
It’s lead single, What Can You Do, that gets the EP underway and, if anything, it’s a song that time has improved since it first came to our attention. The charm has grown, and I love the way that Lisa uses her impressive vocal range; when she hits the low notes, I get the distinct impression that she’s singing just for me. And the song’s takeaway message – “You are more than what you can do” – is something that we should all take to heart.
Lisa’s voice assumes a resigned air and pedal steel lends a slick country feel to the soft, intimate, Call It a Night. Lisa’s piano is front and centre in the mix and I love the subdued percussion. It’s a song that I’d christened ‘pick of the bunch’ … until I listened on…
AN EARWORM AND A NEW GEM
I’ve already lavished praise upon The Gatekeeper, the more recent of the two singles that previewed New Girl Syndrome, but I make no apology for doing so again. With its confident, endearing vocals and a couple of wonderful guitar solos, it’s a song that I predicted would quickly take on ‘earworm’ status, and so it has done. Once, heard, you’ll want to play it again, and again.
Which leaves us with closing track, Don’t Wanna Be and, if pushed, I’d suggest that this is the best song of the lot! Woodwind has been drafted in to complement Lisa’s fluent piano; vocally, she’s at her most vulnerable and she sings beautifully. Don’t Wanna Be is a song that begs to be adopted as the parting shot to any of her live performances – it’s a delightful piece of music from a top-class musician.
So, Lisa… You’ve got our attention. Can we have some more please? Soon?
Time for another viewing of the official video to What Can You Do – the EP’s lead single. You can watch it below:
Lisa Crawley online: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / You Tube / Spotify
Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube
Categories: Uncategorised
