Alix Page ‘Old News’ Review

While she doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Alix Page shows potential on her new EP.

19-year-old Californian singer Alix Page‘s debut EP Old News isn’t a game-changer in the Indie Pop genre but is by no means poor in quality. Her work is very Gen Z in its aesthetic, with her confessional, nostalgic lyrics that detail young love and heartbreak, interweaved with guitars and strings throughout. Fitting in well with her contemporaries but not at all times distinguishing itself from them, it’s a solid start from Page.

Old News’ strength lies in it’s two 2021 singles

‘Radiohead’, like much of the EP, details a collapsing relationship, with Page singing over subtle acoustic guitar and, later in the song, strings that add to the melancholic tone. On ‘25’, Page wonders what she’ll come to think about a former relationship at the age of 25, giving a sense of existentialism to her work that many Gen-Z listeners will find relatable. ’25’ is also much more anthemic than ‘Radiohead’, with guitars throughout, highlighting one of the EP’s stronger points, its diversity in its instrumentation. The difference in the production of these two songs, one subtle and one anthemic, shows potential in how she can use her sound.

The EP’s weakest moments are in the two other songs. The EP’s opener ‘True + Honest’ is a solid song, but is perhaps a little forgettable. The grungy guitar gives the song a slight edge, but it lacks the subtlety of ‘Radiohead’ or the anthemic nature of ‘25’, falling slightly in the middle and committing to neither. Similarly, ‘June Gloom’ suffers the same issues, again describing a collapsing relationship in a clear and relatable way, but failing to be particularly memorable. Where other songs on the EP have a memorable difference to the others, with even ‘True + Honest’ standing out with its grungy guitar, ‘June Gloom’ does not vary its sound other than through some synths that it opens with.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Page plants her flag in the alt-pop genre successfully, weaving her stories of heartbreak into her indie pop sensibilities. While not ground-breaking, Alix Page’s debut EP shows strong potential and space for her to move forward. The diversity in some of its sounds are perhaps its strongest point, with the two singles having much different production. The two non-singles aren’t as distinctive though and are the EP’s weaker points. However, as Old News is her first EP there is much room for Page to grow and develop her sound into something uniquely her own.

6/10.

Check out Alix Page’s website for any tour details and updates here and check out other reviews from The Mancunion here.