When Fairlane and Kala first met up, they only anticipated making one song together. But almost immediately, the pair profoundly understood each other’s unique experiences and perspectives, such that it became clear that they had a story to tell, and one song simply wouldn’t be enough to tell it. So, they made a five-track EP, V.

In the simplest of terms, V represents the number five, but for Fairlane and Kala, it means much more than that. Both artists struggled with a bout of depression for five years, and this EP is meant to represent the cyclical nature of mental hardship and its recurrence throughout life. Over the course of five songs, the two touch on love, depression, appreciation for life, regret, hope, and a feeling of belonging.

The two lead singles, “Somewhere That I Belong” and “Afraid of What’s Inside,” shed light on the sounds and lyrical ideas to come, pending the project’s release. The former is about being yourself, personal growth, and self understanding. The latter is about the internal struggles of dealing with anxiety and depression. “Intro (Save Me),” “Lights Out,, and “5 Years” join the two previously released singles to round out the Lowly.-backed V. Together, these inclusions comprise an anthemic collection of songs that blends melodic bass, emo, and alternative in a package best enjoyed in sequential order, from front to back.

As part of the release, the duo performed a 15-minute live set of the EP in full on its Twitch channels two days before its release. That performance has since been released on YouTube, where it acts as an ideal audio-visual complement to the music, showing off Fairlane and Kala’s multi-dimensional talents: Kala’s angst-ridden vocals and Fairlane’s guitar shredding. Watch the full live performance of V, out now via Lowly., below.

Featured image: Fairlane

Tags: Fairlane, kala, lowly, lowly.

Categories: Music