EP REVIEW: ALYSSA FLAHERTY - HEARTBREAK,THANK YOU

When #TEAMw21 met up with Alyssa Flaherty in Nashville, she only had a few singles to her name, yet she laid out a bold plan and talked of having three EP's worth of material. Three songs from that fantastic first meeting at Analog make it on to this EP, and they fully justify why we have been heralding Alyssa as one to see, as she makes her UK debut at Country Calling in little over a month.

It is a collection of songs that deal with affairs of the heart, and the cover picture with Alyssa's head bowed under her hat is an indication that these songs do not come without a degree of heartache. They do though come with a level of songwriting and performing skills that belie Alyssa's tender age. although of course she's been performing for years!

The EP opens to one of Alyssa's earlier singles "Broken By You" It starts with a real sense of purpose, the drums have a real thud about them, the guitar perhaps slightly heavier than you might expect. When Alyssa arrives, her vocals are equally immediately hard hitting and delivered with feeling, she pulls no punches.

"Sometimes in the middle of the night

You're still crossing my mind, and I hate that

Can't rewind, waste of time, about the bullet

It's a crime, that you lied, ain't no take backs

Thought you were one in a million

Turns out there's millions of you

Got me feeling so stupid

For catching feelings for you"

Sung over the brooding backing tune, this is Alyssa, kicking herself for letting someone so unworthy get so close and stealing her affections. The lines blur into one another, delivered at pace

The chorus is another wordy explosion of delight matched by the band raising their volume

"Maybe I was naive maybe I wasn't thinking

Holding my breath, pretending the ship ain't really sinking

Ignore the signs before my eyes

I wish I never met you - I would have never let you

Get a hold my heart something I never do

I was just hoping that it would never be

Broken by you you you"

The chorus lets us in on why Alyssa feels so bad, the warning signs were there, and the strength of feeling is never more evident than on the

"I wish I never met you" line.

The second verse sees a nice reversal of the line from the from the opening verse however it it still tinged with a touch of bewilderment of how things have played out.

"Thought I was one in a million, turns out there's ten of me

How'd we go from forever to being enemies?"

It is followed by "Know You By Heart", a single that on release we described as perfection and there seems little point in changing that outlook on it.

Written with Michael August and Nicola Croteau, this song has a richness in lyrics and sound that you might expect from a Grand Old Opry veteran, let alone one as young as Alyssa. The title is perhaps a little misleading and those joining for a cheery uplifting song may wish to move along, however those with an eye for incise observation, and an ear for a great tune and voice will find much to ponder in this song.

The first verse, mainly delivered to just an acoustic guitar, is very much scene setting, establishing the relationship that we are going to hear more about as the song progresses. The little intricacies that couples have between them are perfectly laid out. the key indication that something is not right comes with the observation that everything is in the past tense.

"I knew you by wintergreen, back pocket of your jeans

Knew every word to track 15, George Strait’s “C’mon Joe”

And by that need you look, that we both understood

At a party or a bar, you’d get the car and take me home

I used to know you by heart

And baby that’s why it’s so damn hard"

The chorus is the cue for the arrival of percussion a sumptuously warm organ sound and guitars gently generating the backing over which Alyssa will pour out her heart. The first and fourth lines really put the emphasis on the final words, while the lines in between have a beautiful pace and internal rhythm that is impossible to resist. The final line is the only one that is effectively standalone and has a marvellously extended - "Heartbreak" from Alyssa. As a construction it is absolutely perfect in terms of creation and execution.

"To know you by heartbreak, heartache

Crying mascara on my pillowcase

Missing you kissing me’s a tendency I can’t shake

Now I know you by mistakes, and too lates

And wishing I was dreaming but I’m wide awakes

Laying here hating that you can make me feel this way

Now I know you by heartbreak"

The second verse snaps us back into the harsh reality of the present, the warmth of the opening verse is replaced with a coldness. The only possession left behind is "beat up" - no longer wanted, the added detail about the hat though give the song a verisimilitude that a lesser description would not have.

"Now I know you by that empty drawer

That you don’t need no more. And that beat up

Yankees hat that you left hanging by the door

And by those stone cold sheets, no they don’t reach for me

Now I’m tangled up in how it was and how it’s gonna be" 

There's a subtle pedal steel solo before a further assault on the chorus, the final line, the extended "Know You By Heartbreak" is repeated, the final time with Alyssa singing the line about "Mistakes and too lates" underneath it. It definitely remains pretty much perfection.

"Better Memory" is another powerful song brought to life with seemingly the most minimal of instrumentation. There seems little more than a pedal steel and an acoustic guitar, however such is the dominance and attraction of Alyssa's delivery you do not even notice. It takes the adult view that many relationships will break up but at least at the end there should still be memories of the good times, however what if there were not, if a relationship was so toxic that you came away with nothing that you'd like to look back on fondly.

The opening verse is delivered just to an acoustic guitar with some subtle background effects

"Me, I moved past the moving on

I don't even care why we went wrong

I should be looking back, smiling at old photographs

But me I've moved past the moving on"

The repetition of the first and last line may be sung sweetly but they are carrying a lot of weight.

The chorus is delivered with more force and feeling and heralds the arrival of the pedal steel.

I got through the heartache, I learned to face the truth

I'm better off now, because goodbye is the best I got from you

After all the love I gave you and the hell you put me through

I deserve a better memory than you"

"Your love ain't like the other loves I've lost

Those heartbreaks were worth the pain they caused

I know I mean more to me than I ever meant to you

Your love ain't like the other loves I've lost"

Alyssa really tries to look back on something that can help mitigate the bad times but the answer she comes up with is felt in every syllable of her delivery

"Just one thing, that's worth remembering

Oh but I got nothing!"

Only as the final notes fade do you realise there was a piano playing such has been the magnetic grip that Alyssa's place on tour attention.

#TEAMw21 were present for the live debut of "Lucky You which takes the idea of seeing an ex with their new partner but takes it in a different sassy direction finding positives in splitting up rather than dwelling on negatives.

"Lucky You, you were right, didn't even have to try

At letting go and moving to someone new, damn Lucky You

And lucky me for walking in, right when she was leaning in

Yes she looks at you, like I used to do,

I bet tonight you'll get lucky to"

The written word cannot do justice to the rhythm and phrasing that Alyssa's vocals add to this track. It allows the sassy attitude to flow with ease.

The chorus explodes into action with Alyssa seeing only the good in splitting up, the third line which rises, like tension building up, in the first half of the line at seeing he ex with another, subsides, like her initial anger for the second half at the realisation that she doesn't really care. In the last line there's also a clever twist on the title - where the "lucky you" is split apart much like, the participants in the song, to take on a new meaning.

"You must have had all the right fingers crossed, yes she looks like a dream come true

You must have been thanking all your lucky stars, and right now I'm thanking mine to

I thought seeing you with her would hurt like hell but it don't,

Lucky me I'm doing good on my own, guess I'm lucky you, let me go"

The second verse lays out the type of person she is dealing with, and it also affirms her relief at being free.

"Lucky her - I hope it lasts, knowing you it's moving fast

And does she know it'll all be over,

As soon as you find your next, four leaf clover

Yeah I guess you can call this closure"

The second chorus is slightly extended to give a little more back story. but mainly to affirm her new found fortune in being free.

"Left me there on that porch

Lucky me, don't need you any more

You have rained on my pot of gold

Guess I'm lucky, lucky you let me go"

There is so much to dive into in this song, the lyrics could be set for English homework as there is so much to discover. The attention to detail in the backing vocals is also exquisite - and just elevates this track in our esteem even further. That the closing line is Alyssa's new take on the opening line is the cherry on the cake.

The closing track is the title track "Heartbreak, Thank You" which opens to the most delicate of acoustic guitar playing. In another triumph of phrasing Alyssa's arrival sparks a blitz of an opening verse where she squeezes in as many words as possible, with expert phrasing,

"It was that first time, first kiss

Butterfly flying kind of feeling

That hands up, sky high

Roller coaster ride every weekend

Damn we burned beautiful, then it hurt like hell

When you burned me to the ground

Mama swore, I'd be alright

But my tears are falling so fast, I might drown"

It's a blur of relationship when delivered at this speed but that is not to say it doesn't hurt as it falls apart and Alyssa as ever seeks to find the positives.

"This is my Heartbreak, Thank You"

No I don't blame you - It's a good thing

And now I finally see it.

Known to feeling rock bottom to healing

That silver line through all the broken pieces

You were everything I never knew

I needed to go through

So Heartbreak. Thank You"

There is no side to this, Alyssa is truly thankful for the experience, however much it hurt at the time.

"All of those hard truths had a way of showing me what I was made of

Girl, Get out get on, be strong, no-one's going to save you

Free falling, hallelujah, when you get your heart to beat again

Deep breath, step by step, as bitter sweet and broken as it gets"

Once again so hypnotic is Alyssa's delivery, that the gradual build up of instrumentation seemingly happens without you even noticing. even the charming mandolin!

Easily as good as any EP you'll hear this year, from one of the rising talents of Nashville. There is a seeming simplicity in the recording but in fact it is perfection, Alyssa and her production team know exactly when to stop. The lyrics are super smart throughout and Alyssa's delivery is constantly inventive. Roll on the next couple of EP's - we can't wait!

Alyssa Flaherty plays Country Calling Aug 16th/17th - https://tickets.country-calling.com/events/country-calling-2025/