Just four songs that stay with you long after the ending note, Danny Balentine’s ‘Summer St’ is a fantastic exploration of love and Summer, warming you up even on the coldest days.
‘Emma 3000’ is a faultless start to this EP. It’s warm and fuzzy, the perfect song for reminiscing on summers that have passed. Bursting with a multitude of instruments, the opening is equal parts gentle and nostalgic, as demonstrated through Balentine’s use of maracas and banjo.
You can tell that Balentine had a lot of fun when making this track, which translates to the listening experience. While the song is dedicated to the mysterious girl Emma, we can all take a little part of it home. ‘Emma 3000’ is a song for the hopeless romantics amongst us with impactful lyrics like “Emma 3000 I’m loving on you / cause I would wait 3000 years for you” and “perfect love, yeah, you’re giving me that”, what is there not to love?
The ending is short and sharp with the wavy guitars leading us out and into the next song.
‘Radio Silence’ has a completely different vibe; the background chatter that introduces the song makes the track feel unfocused and mechanical, and it takes on a slightly more melancholic note than its predecessor.
It still has elements of warmth, especially as it progresses with Danny’s soft and buttery voice easily being lost in the mix if you’re not careful. It’s not a bad song by any means (I mean, can any song ever be “bad”?), it’s just different, and I think that’s good, shows the range of the artist and in this case, means ‘Summer St’ doesn’t become repetitive. The slowed-down, distorted ending does throw you off slightly, but it allows ‘Bailey’s Bubble’ to pop out at you.
Clicking fingers kicks us off before the bouncy drum beat swoops in, ensuring that this song will be a total earworm. It’s toe-tappy and upbeat, similar to ‘Emma 3000‘ and a pleasant contrast to ‘Radio Silence‘. It feels lighter yet tender and fragile, focusing on platonic love.
The conversation in an ice-cream parlour is unusual but fun, really tying this EP with Summer.
The lyric which stands out to me is “I found lots of truth out there with my friends”, and I’m not quite sure why this lyric tickles my fancy so much. Maybe it’s because it reflects on the experience of growing up and discovering what the world has to offer.
Slightly out of tune whistling rounds the song off before the nice touch of a bubble bursting ends it completely.
Dynamic and powerful, ‘Heavyweight‘ is one you’ll need your tissues for. It’s sadder and heavier and has a totally different atmosphere than the beginning of the EP. It’s a nice one to end off, though, allowing yourself grace, which is a message that we all need to be reminded of at times.
Danny Balentine’s ‘Summer St’ is a journey of emotions, a tender and poetic exploration of Summer, and an amazing listen, especially when you’re missing the feeling of the warmer months.
Written by Madi Briggs
