We previously featured Piper Connolly for capturing the exhilaration of authentic human connection on her powerful single, Beautiful Life, so when we heard that the star was back with unapologetic, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in her universe once again.

unapologetic opens with a minimalist electric guitar riff as Piper sings, “Little reckless, over jealous, can’t help what I adore, love drunk, foolish, love drunk, clueless, what you waiting for?”. The opus expands with an infectious pop-rock energy as the guitars become increasingly animated and Piper’s vocals move between conversational intimacy and full-throttle melodic confidence.

We appreciate the lyrical perspective here, particularly the decision to embrace imperfection rather than attempting to package empowerment into something overly polished. Piper openly admits to being “little savage” and “over dramatic”, but there is no shame attached to these characteristics. Instead, they become part of the charm. 

There is a gorgeous Y2K pop-rock nostalgia running through the track too, but Piper gives it a contemporary alt-pop gloss. We can hear echoes of the bratty confidence of Avril Lavigne, the theatrical pop-rock sensibilities of Paramore, and even some of the playful attitude associated with Olivia Rodrigo. Speaking on the release, Piper says, “It was a super, super natural writing process. It’s all about being yourself and not being sorry. This is who I am and I’m going to be myself, no matter what. Even if I’m flawed, I’m going to wear those flaws.”

“No I’m not sorry, I’m unapologetic…” feels designed to be screamed like a mantra and life philosophy, rather than quietly contemplated. There is something very Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, The Princess Diaries and 10 Things I Hate About You about the spirit of it.

Cinematically, we could also see unapologetic absolutely thriving in a coming-of-age film or teen series like Never Have I Ever, Heartstopper or Amazon’s new Legally Blonde prequel, Elle. It has that rare soundtrack quality and a great life message. Needless to say, we’re completely here for it, and unapologetic has been added to our New Music Spotlight, TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists.

The post Piper Connolly embraces imperfection and Y2K pop-rock energy on philosophical new single, unapologetic appeared first on KIMU.

Drawing us in with a playful bass performance, textured drums and an astral synth, Piper Connolly opens Beautiful Life with dimensionality and poetic prowess as she sings, “Hey now cupid, don’t be shy, might sound stupid, but I never thought I’d meet a guy like you, and I never thought you’d make my dreams come true…”

The opus expands into a cohesive and immersive pop-rock soundscape as Piper exclaims, “It’s a beautiful life, I’m altogether fascinated, give me a sign, I’m by your side, infatuated…”. There is no doubt that the message is relatable and the song holds a timeless appeal with cinematic allure.

We could imagine Beautiful Life being featured in a film like The Idea of You, Materialists, or The Life List, or perhaps even a TV show like My Life with the Walter Boys. The production is sublime and fans of Olivia Rodrigo, Paramore, and early Garbage would be able to connect with what Piper Connolly is creating.

Speaking on the release, Piper says, “I know I’m not the only one who found their true love and is having a beautiful life since… for the girls healing, overthinking, romanticizing everything, and listening to music way too late at night.”

We love the telephone vocal ad-libs and luscious harmonies. The middle eight is truly exhilarating, aligned with the high frequency energy of the track as a whole. We learn that the song was produced with chart-topping, Grammy-featured producer/songwriter Esjay Jones and Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft, whose select credits include Billy Corgan, Chester Bennington, Machine Gun Kelly, and Blink-182, which certainly explains the incredible sound design.

Hordes of teenage girls who have just experienced their first love will absolutely be able to connect and happy cry to this song, it’s also ideal for someone reminiscing on an authentic human connection that they had in the past.

Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Beautiful Life to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we watch the cinematic Kev Creature-directed video, and continue to stream the wider discography of Piper Connolly, including warning, welcome back girl, and chameleon.

The post Piper Connolly captures the exhilaration of authentic human connection on powerful new single, Beautiful Life appeared first on KIMU.