8/10
There’s a particular kind of bravery in refusing neat conclusions. And on her eagerly-awaited debut EP 'what if it ends?', Melbourne songwriter Sidney lingers in the blur, documenting a season of emotional crosscurrents with startling precision and grace.
Across seven tracks, she circles the single, restless thought of what happens when the life you’ve built begins to feel fragile? Rather than framing this as collapse, Sidney treats it as a moment stretched thin between comfort and change.
The opener 'sliding doors' sets the tone beautifully. Referencing parallel timelines, the song imagines two futures unfolding at once; one rooted in staying, and the other in stepping away. It’s a quiet gut-punch, clinging to possibility even as cracks begin to show. There’s a cinematic quality to the way it unfolds, with each lyric feeling like a scene caught mid-breath.
Elsewhere, 'long haul' and 'golden boy' capture the early glow of shared ambition, the belief that romance and personal growth can run side by side. Yet even in their warmth, you can sense the subtle friction as Sidney writes about aspiration as a force that can gently pull two people onto diverging paths.
The emotional centrepiece arrives with 'anything', a spiralling, pulse-quickening moment that mirrors burnout and second-guessing in real time. The vocal delivery feels intentionally frayed at the edges, amplifying the exhaustion beneath the surface. It’s cathartic without tipping into melodrama, a delicate balance Sidney handles with remarkable maturity.
Production-wise, the project blends soft indie-pop textures with confessional lyricism. Collaborators help shape a soundscape that feels warm and expansive, yet never distracts from the emotional core. Fans of Holly Humberstone or Gracie Abrams will recognise the bittersweet tone, but Sidney’s voice is distinctly her own.
'what if it ends?' is a rare release that grants permission to sit with the duality of love and doubt, hope and fear, and to hold on while quietly preparing to let go. As introductions go, it’s a debut that suggests Sidney’s most powerful chapters are only just beginning.
