chapter 2

Norway’s Marie Ulven, aka girl in red, got an early education in music in the family car. “Mum would always listen to music really loud and I loved that,” she tells Apple Music. “We listened a lot to the radio and pop music.” The catchy melodies on which she was raised color her own songwriting, as evidenced by the swooning guitar pop of her 2018 debut EP, *chapter 1*, and its follow-up, *chapter 2*. The girl in red project was inspired by a straight friend with whom the openly gay singer was in love, so it’s no surprise that matters of the heart radiate throughout *chapter 2*. “‘watch you sleep.’ is about one morning with someone I loved at some point in my life,” Ulven explains, while “bad idea!” essays the kind of lust that engulfs you even though you know it’s a mistake. Thankfully, in the case of “dead girl in the pool.”, not all the songs are based in real life. “I have *not* seen a dead girl in a pool,” the singer confirms. Of *chapter 2*’s progression from its predecessor, she offers: “It’s slightly darker and more grown. I think it shows in production and songwriting that I’m evolving and changing.”

'Chapter 2' by girl in red, album review by Adam Fink. The EP is now available via Kobalt/AWAL Recordings and various streaming platforms