by Matt Harrison
Released in early 2022, If It’s Not Forever is a six-track EP written and sung by Cassidy Mann. Her newest release is a combination of light-electronic and acoustic vibes, the type of soft tones you might hear playing gently in a coffee shop or bookstore. As a whole, the EP tells the story of love lost and the journey of carrying on as a stronger self.
The first track, “Tropical Sour Candy,” tells of how she longs for the love that was but is no more. The early mornings, the shared music, and sunrises tainted by the feeling of the partner who is gone.
While every track has its charm, a few songs stood out from the rest. “Stop a Heart” includes painfully true lines like “you can’t stop a heart from breaking and if you can I don’t know how” and “Since I met You” are each warm and authentic. Track three, “Fine,” comes with a higher tempo, a lighter energy on what is a deep and honest set of songs.
“Fine” sounds like the thoughts of someone moving on but still appreciating ever having been able to share their time with that particular someone. “I can’t go back to how it was before” the song begins. The lyrics of the chorus change each time it comes around, professing “I’m fine” with every elevation of rhythm. A beautiful balance between creative, poetic writing and instrumentation that reminds listeners of summer days.
The title track and final song on the EP, If It’s Not Forever, is about all the memories that will never fade.
“When we’re old and grey, we’ll both have these memories,” Mann sings.
One half of what was once a united whole might be on the other side of the world, but those memories will stay no matter how much time has come and gone. As Cassidy Mann sings in her own words, “memories never age.”
The energy of this EP is of cathartic healing sewn onto calming, relaxing waves of peaceful instrumentals. These lyrics were written by an honest heart on the rocky path from heartbreak to growth and reformation of self.