Review: Ariadne Mila, elemental
Sweetly ethereal pop EP recaps a rocky relationship with a lover
Reviewed by Adam Cherian, Fri., Aug. 4, 2023
Austin artist Ariadne Mila took the building blocks of life (air, water, fire, earth) into account when making her recent EP elemental, in which she cleverly equates the qualities of each classical force to the stages of a rocky relationship with a lover. The conceptual project complements the sweetly ethereal pop sonics signature to Mila's stripped-down sound, calling on luscious, lightly electronic production and her beautifully poetic songwriting. The South Texas-born artist starts off the element comparisons with mid-tempo opener "Light It." Theatrical lyrics ("Every time you say my name/ Just like gasoline to flame yeah/ Boy I'm done for") perfectly encapsulate getting swept away in a fiery, impulsive romance. Feelings turn more fluid on the watery ballad "With Me," where Mila wants to be completely boundaryless with her partner, begging to melt into them. "Better When I Didn't Care" turns to the need for stability, where she now begs for a grounded love. The infectiously melodic chorus fades into sad piano as the last track, "So Be It," melodramatically sees Mila wanting to let go of the affections she has for this person, like wind blowing away, set to faint triplet trap beats in the chorus. In just 15 minutes, following a run of singles dating back to 2021, the warm singer-songwriter packs plenty of depth.
