For anyone who has ever been anxious or spends too much time within their own head, Kerrin Connolly’s Don’t Be Afraid is filled with relatable songs.
Kerrin Connolly’s recording studio blossomed out of too much time spent alone during the first quarantine season in 2020. Connolly has been songwriting and recording for their YouTube channel for several years, but they only started releasing music for streaming platforms during the pandemic. In order to bring their ideas to life, Connolly learned how to record and master everything on their own. Although they say that this feature of their music is “for better or for worse,” Connolly’s self-production is an inspiration for any aspiring DIY or bedroom musician.
“Fly In My Room,” the first song on Connolly’s EP Don’t Be Afraid, was released as a single in August 2020, and has already gained over a million plays on Spotify. It was Connolly’s quarantine project at the beginning of the pandemic, and she’s since remastered it to sound “shinier” and more polished for this release. After writing two more songs in the weeks that followed, Connolly came to the realization that the songs they were writing all shared a common theme of anxiety, this realization gave way to the conception of a larger project.
Upon first listen, “Fly In My Room” sounds as sweet as candy, but a closer listen reveals that the contents of the lyrics aren’t as sweet as their shell. With lines like “How many open windows scared me / When I could’ve had fresh air / How many glasses fully empty / Before I decided not to care,” Connolly bemoans the lost opportunities they have seen pass them by. The fly in their room obsessively hits its head on the walls, and later in the song, Connolly admits that they are just like the fly with the line “We’re cut from the same web.” “Fly In My Room” perfectly encapsulates the tone of the rest of the EP: full of catchy hooks and allusions to anxieties.
“Giant Falling Anvil,” the next song, might make you feel like you’re on the precipice of a heart attack. The lyrics begin with “What could possibly go wrong / It’s only Monday / Pardon me / I’m busy being in my way,” revealing what this song will be about, if the title wasn’t enough of a clue. “This one is literally me just listing all the things I’m afraid of happening,” Connolly said. “I feel like a cartoon character just waiting for a piano to drop on me at any second.” The quick staccato claps that adorn each verse seems to mimic the sound of a racing heart. At first, they’re jarring to the ear, but it’s even more jarring when the claps drop out at the pre-chorus. Even there, Connolly sings about being “on edge,” ready at all times to get crushed by a falling anvil, painting a portrait of everlasting stress.
The titular song “Don’t Be Afraid” is fourth on the EP. Connolly said, “By title alone, the song can be a little misleading.” It’d be easy to assume, and even expected, that the EP and the song would be an encouraging piece of work, for listeners to cheer themselves up. Instead, it’s all about warning someone away from yourself. “At some point / I got too big for the space under your bed” are Connolly’s opening lines, coining themself as the imaginary monster living in someone’s room. However, by the chorus, Connolly repeatedly begs the listener to not fear them. This can be interpreted as how Connolly sees themself or how they expect others to perceive them.
“Don’t Be Afraid” was actually the last song to be completed for the EP, but as soon as Connolly had the first few lines written, they knew that this song would be the titular capstone of the project. Writing a song about fear and anxiety ironically led Connolly to even more stress. “There was a lot of pressure in making this song good, and I was so stressed about it.” However, the final product left Connolly feeling satisfied with their efforts.
Although Don’t Be Afraid is the result of Connolly pouring their own heart and fears into music, the topics they sing about are relatable to most everyone. When building a song, Connolly leans into metaphorical vagueness in order to preserve the “life cycle” of the song and to keep it relevant for themself. Leaving room for interpretation is key for Connolly and their listeners. Connolly manages to keep Don’t Be Afraid welcoming, even while singing about personal anxieties and experiences. Perhaps the approachability lies within the arrangement and lyrics, as Connolly’s music may sound familiar to fans of the YouTube indie music scene of the early 2010s (á la dodie and Walk Off The Earth) due to their favoring of ukulele and shakers, which give a twee atmosphere to their sound. At certain points, Connolly’s belt even gives hints of Haley Williams, the lead singer of the band Paramore. The DIY combination of sounds in Don’t Be Afraid keeps Connolly’s sound unique, yet recognizable.
While it’s unmistakable how much thought and time has been put into the production of the EP, there’s still a certain quality about it that sounds homemade. Connolly themself admits this: “I know that my music sounds like someone made it in their home and I don’t mind that! I know that I could just as easily export my stuff to a much better producer, but I’ve learned so many new skills along the way.” Composing, performing, and mastering these musical products from conception to completion definitely allows Connolly to put their personal fingerprints all over Don’t Be Afraid.
Kerrin Connolly’s latest EP is about various anxieties that can take the forms of the monster under your bed, cartoonish anvils waiting to drop, and mythical creatures, but at its core, Don’t Be Afraid is all about dealing with fear in different ways and is a powerful addition to Connolly’s discography.