EP Review: I’m Doing Fine!

Blake’s I’m Doing Fine! bursts to life with Red Hearts. The opening bars strike me as a nod to Blake’s days in the Drum and Bass scene. I feel like I’m in for something completely different, but within thirty seconds I’m transported to a costal road and a summer’s drive. The genre whiplash is brief and a little intense, but it sets up the track well. Blake may have cut her musical teeth in London, but she has certainly nailed the Kiwi summer sound. Blake’s vocals glide over this upbeat track, a regular feature throughout this release.

Worst Critic is up next. Potentially the most relatable track I’ve heard for a good while. A simple yet powerful effort. Every creative knows the feelings that Blake describes here. In fact I’m sure that all of us do. The gentle nudge to be kind to ourselves and how this can be a constant effort. Blake reminds us that is something to keep striving for, as she pours her heart out about her struggles with self-criticism. The listener is left feeling like they aren’t alone in facing such a lonely struggle.

At the halfway point of I’m Doing Fine! I find my favourite of Blake’s lyrical work. The cycle of uncertainty that has come post covid has hit many young people especially hard. We are in uncharted waters. Will it make us or break us? This is the struggle that Blake weighs up in Breakdown Breakthrough. Despite the melancholy themes, Blake’s skill, not only as a musician and writer, but as a storyteller always leaves a hopeful feeling and a notion that we’ll be ok.

Taking a break from the melancholy, Sex Dreams brings back thoughts from a happier time. Again, Blake’s vocals weave their way through a simple melody. Telling the story of when that special person has infected your mind, but you still don’t know what it means. Vocally, this is my favourite performance from Blake.

Closing out the EP we have Easier Way. What’s a love song without its breakup song counterpart? Breakups are never easy, and we are a fly on the wall here as Blake tells of the struggles of ending things. A familiar pain. Yet again Blake has excelled at putting some of life’s hardest feelings into a beautifully articulated summary. She has managed to describe those things that we often can’t. No mean feat.

One impressive point of note, I’m Doing Fine! marks Blake’s first time acting as a lead producer on a project as well. If this effort is anything to go by, the NZ music scene is in for a treat as Blake explores her career ahead.