Flower Face – Maniac Review

What does Flower Face sound like?

Soft, fuzzy and sad acoustic-based indie pop.

The review of ‘Maniac’ by Flower Face

‘Maniac’ is Flower Face’s way of admitting that sometimes she sucks as a person, but she knows it and accepts it. That’s not the case for many people, she says, so this short EP is a dreamy indie pop collection of gentle rock tracks that explore that idea.

The titular track is a juxtaposition of peppy acoustic guitar and uncomfortable lyrics. Flower Face sings about how she doesn’t want someone to be happy and the joy she secretly takes from their “misery leaking all over my bedroom”. It will be the track that gets the immediate attention but ‘Skeleton Key’ and ‘Valentine’ are the secret gems here. ‘Skeleton Key’ is a slow ballad that grows into a sweeping string-backed piece, it has some gorgeous electric guitar production here. It’s a deeply sad post-love song with speaks of nostalgia eating you up. “I don’t mean to be cruel but I’m so fucking haunted” sings Flower Face – you can hear it too. ‘Valentine’ sings of the fact her love was “always a fight risk” and that she was last to know. The swelling strings, gauzy vocals and country guitar lilt hiding in the mix make this a beautifully heartbreaking song.

‘Cat’s Cradle’ is the most rock-based track. Its playful call-and-response verses between Flower Faces’ soft vocals and the softer piano notes work a treat. Add in a muted guitar solo and a lot of downplayed vocals and you have another cathartic, introspective gem too. ‘Love of Mine’ is a short piano piece and ‘Outro’ takes the finale of ‘Valentine’ and spins it into an extended instrumental outro.

Short, and sad but leaving its mark long after listening, it is the restrained reflective mood and tone that stands out with ‘Maniac’. This will be a grower but in the meantime, I appreciate the open and relatable lyrics that hit home. Flower Face does it with soft gut punches as the music delivers them with tender care. An EP for quiet moments.

Recommended track: Valentine

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