Having spent months creating music inside of her 10×10 box room during quarantine, Su Lee is now entering the world outside and is doing so without reservation. She just released her debut album Messy Sexy alongside the project’s lead single “Mayfly” (ft. Miki Fiki). The 12-track project is an ode to self-worth, care, and acceptance enveloped in upbeat guitar riffs, lightweight keys, and breezy confluent vocals.
In “Mayfly” (ft. Miki Fiki), Su narrates her heartbreaking encounters with goodbyes. Over comforting synths and a steady beat, the chorus rings out: “Won’t cry / Don’t care that I’ll die / Just scared of goodbyes / I really hate feeling all the bitterness / When it’s time to go back / And start again.”
The album’s ambient opening track “That Margot Robbie Scene (Intro)” sets a tone for the rest of the project and the topics it addresses by allowing Su to explain the way she tries to approach overwhelming situations by relating it to Margot Robbie’s critically acclaimed performance in “I, Tonya.” “All The Time” is a blatantly honest confession placed over soothing piano keys, shimmering chimes and blissful harmonies.
The album’s title track “Messy Sexy” is a love-letter to one’s imperfect self. Effervescent synths, subtle horns, and sampled sounds like the crackling noise of a freshly opened bag of Cheetos converge into an addicting invitation to dance and embrace the beauty of unfiltered individuality. “Super Happy” is the first of two tracks on the album to feature Colombian artist Ariza. The trilingual song reflects Su’s previous periods of uneasiness, an allusion to the time spent in her box room, while embodying the feeling of fleeting bliss.
The jazzy drums and animated keys in “Cuckoo” express the nuanced complexity of Su’s own mind and her struggle with depression. “Knock Knock’s” simplistic pianos and subtle hi-hats provide a tranquil soundscape for Su to extend assurance to those in need of what she describes as “unsolicited love and attention.” In “Jump”(ft. Ariza) Su’s ethereal voice sings about, “the chaotic beauty that lies in trying something new and taking the leap of faith.” Over a futuristic synth, the track expresses Su’s determination to seize the present moment.
A groovy bass line, clattering cymbals, and 70’s funk synth make up the pop anthem “Cherry.” Dripping in irresistible dance beats Su engages in quick-fire propositions to an uninterested romantic fixation: “Am I too sweet for you / Can always tone it down / If you want something a little more suited for you” While “Cherry” focuses on the attention of another, “Brains Out” a carol dedicated to oneself. Powerful electric guitars and assertive hi-hat loops combine with an ethereal vocal backing creates a song that literally commands one to sing along.
“Never Really Nice To Me” trades in “Brains Out’s” electric guitar for the acoustic version of the instrument. Layering various electronic beats over the effortless initial guitar sequence, the track builds to an abrupt and definitive end. “Sonder” closes out Messy Sexy by venturing away from Su’s typical cheery bedroom-pop tone. The track carries an air of deliberate stealth, leaning on minor notes to convey the way she covertly moves through life. Su says of the track: “Sonder is about how being a fly on the wall can be a therapeutic experience for those who are lonely yet scared of social interaction.”
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Messy Sexy follows tour dates with CHAI and Mystery Skulls, and the release of Su’s self-produced EP “Box Room Dreams.” The seven-track EP tackles issues such as anxiety, depression, and self-doubt through the lens of her experience during quarantine in her 10×10 bedroom – a room where she eats sleeps and creates. Her collaboration with Ariza and the addition of the Spanish language to her new music shows a true expansion of her sonic abilities and a breaking of the boundaries of her box room.
