Releasing her first single in 2020, Montreal singer/songwriter Kaylee Patterson has come through with her debut EP, Forever Would’ve Sucked, a six-song introspective collection about heartbreak, perseverance and the words you wish you had known how to say sooner. Focusing on bad relationships, Patterson addresses abusive patterns and explores how to find the strength to learn from them and move on. Like a bad dream or cheesy horror movie, Patterson realizes how terrible her past relationships have been. After a little distance from them though, she realizes that the things she thought were good, weren’t actually that great after all; those details eventually become fuzzy and only serve a faint reminder of something she didn’t like.
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From proclaiming steadfast feelings about her own sanity to wishing she could go back in time to avoid her abusive ex altogether, Patterson deals with themes of bad romance with a playful honesty, and she isn’t shy to rehash previous situations that are extremely personal. On the contrary, she takes her vulnerability and pairs it with a quirky humor from telling her ex that he better stay in hell when he finally bites the dust to hyperbolizing the lengths of which she would go to get away from him.
In the final closers of the EP, Patterson weaves in more serious reflection on what it’s like to realize you’re in an abusive relationship. In “Pinky Promise,” all these themes come together in a subtly flurry of realization and empowerment. While Patterson’s past relationship made her feel so good in the moment, it also wasn’t emotionally healthy for her and not something she should cling to.
“As kids, we’re taught that the longest relationships are the most successful ones, so I used to make my abusive ex promise me that he would love me forever,” notes Patterson. “In truth, spending your whole life with the wrong person is stagnant and as the song states, would probably suck! ‘Pinky Promise’ is an overwhelmingly bittersweet story about love, heartbreak and how some forevers should simply not last forever.”
“Rain” ends Forever Would’ve Sucked on a slow and bittersweet tone, with Patterson reaching an age and maturity where red flags in a relationship are easier to see, and instead of staying in it because you think that’s what you’re supposed to do, she ends things before they drag out any further.
Musically, Forever Would’ve Sucked finds itself on the crossroads of quirky indie pop and folk music. From catchy melodies, subtle glimmers of instrumentation to the overtly sweet sounding nature of her music, Patterson creates the perfect tone for an outside-the-box artist who just as easily finds mainstream appeal. Whether she’s jamming out on her ukulele, making TikTok videos to working with producer Jay Century (Kaskade, Duckwrth, Starley) to craft her debut EP, Patterson does so with a sense of authenticity as she offers up a bit of herself through her music.
Words: Patti Sanchez
For more on Kaylee Patterson, make sure to follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
