quinnie has been taking the indie-folk world by storm since the release of her TikTok viral hit “touch tank” in 2022. Riding off the waves of her highly acclaimed debut album’s release in 2023, flounder and its deluxe version, quinnie is back with her mesmerizing new EP you can hold the stars until they burn right through your hands. The EP is a collection of three joyous yet touching folk projects featuring colorful instrumentation and quinnie’s unique vocalizations.
Speaking about the EP she said “These three songs all encapsulate good things gone sour in their own ways…the feeling of doom on a Sunday night or when the thrill of romance and lust wears off. I wrote each of these songs at very different times but to me, they all felt like holding the stars until they burn right through your hands.” Each track showcases her growth as an artist since flounder and is soft and delicate yet powerful and intelligent.
The first track “it’s easiest to fuck something that’s always in the mood” is heavy and emotional, featuring a little bit of everything from delicate acoustic guitars, hints of what may be a flute, pounding yet soft percussion, soft strings, and powerful vocal layering. The instrumentation dominates this track in the best way possible in ways words could not because it is so powerful it brings a tear to your eye as you flow through the melodies. It truly is “easiest to fuck something that’s always in the mood,” and quinnie showcases that on this great EP opener.
The next track, “in heaven all the first kisses last much longer than a night” utilizes perplexing lyricism to paint a picture of what is going on in quinnie’s psyche. Lyrics like the first verse that sings “On the walk home in your dead of the night/Decorations, while you’re watching my eyes fall on collarbone/Nape of neck, swaying hips, wrinkled dress,” allow the listener to picture themselves in the track in a beautiful way. The lyricism is matched with eerie instrumentations that include alluring strings, thought-provoking trumpets, more of that iconic guitar playing, and quinnie’s infectious melodies that draw you in every time. The outro is one of my favorite parts of the song because it leaves me feeling extensional as she sings “Why do I still have to feel things in between the cheap delights?/In Heaven all the vacations last longer than a few nights/You can hold the stars until they burn right through your hands/You can outrun the whole week but Sunday catches up again.”
quinnie leaves the listener with a question on the final track of you can hold the stars until they burn right through your hands with “where does god go at commercial break?” The track is brighter than the ones before it, with percussion elements and hints of electric guitars throughout that feel like it would be sung around a campfire. quinnie breaks down religion and spending habits on this song, singing “In a world where air is bottled?/You can breathe it if you’ve got a lot of money/Where does God go at commercial break?/Does he tell me which purchase to make?” She encapsulates the human condition of wanting to explore the world while being on a limited budget, while also questioning religion and its place in her life and why she is “worshiping these goddamn squiggle lines?”
Overall, you can hold the stars until they burn right through your hands had me in a chokehold from start to finish and showcases quinnie’s growth as an artist from her debut record flounder, and makes me very excited for future releases from her! You can keep up with her on social media under @quinnie and listen to the new EP here:
