Ava Earl - “Jealous of Her”

Alaska-based Ava Earl is a fan of Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith, and Lana Del Rey, so we had a feeling that her music would resonate with us. Before Earl had even finished high school, she had already released a handful of albums and opened for Maggie Rogers. And today, she arrives on the blog with “Jealous of Her,” a marvelously stripped-back and folksy slice of indie pop.

As this tune begins, it offers our ears an upbeat vibe, primarily due to the bells that tap out the melody over the top of a joyfully strummed acoustic guitar. To round out the bar, there are moments of what appear to be lap steel. Earl’s vocal delivery begins seconds later, slightly reminiscent of Jade Bird, especially in her upper register. Her voice effortlessly rises and falls as she embarks upon this journey of coping with unrequited feelings.

Of course, if you’ve ever read our blog, you’ll know that we could not resist “Jealous of Her” once we heard the vocal harmonies that have been sprinkled throughout its duration. They arrive at just the right times to add emphasis and width– and we hope that other artists will hear them and understand how utilizing harmonies will elevate their own recordings. After the second hook, Earl gives us a fantastic bridge, another aspect that many modern songwriters seem to forgo altogether.

Coming in at just under three and a half minutes, “Jealous of Her” contains only the best of ingredients for a folksy pop song. And though this our first time hearing from Earl, we have a feeling that it will not be the last.

-TM