Indie pop artist Phebe Starr grew up in the middle of nowhere Australia, passing time by listening to her mother’s feminist rock albums and her father’s outlaw country records. From there, she taught herself how to play the piano and guitar by ear while tinkering with rudimentary recording “equipment.” This sheer force of will comes across in the deeply autobiographical lyrics of Starr’s forthcoming Chronicles EP.
“They Keep Telling Me”, the previous single from the release, was written about a sexist co-writing experience. Now, her new song “Two Hearts” finds her confronting lingering internal doubt she inherited from her upbringing. “People might think this song is about a guy, but it isn’t,” Starr tells Consequence of Sound. “I hardly ever write about romantic love. It’s about my internal fight against doubt. My mom is an outspoken strong woman and my father is a conservative man. Sometimes I feel I inherited a battle of opposing values.”
Despite its heavy topic, however, “Two Hearts” is the type of synthpop that’s perfect for grabbing that special someone’s hand and hitting the sweaty dance floor. The glistening synths build toward an unavoidable chorus about two hearts which “beat like a drum.” While the lyrics may not be written about romantic love, the song itself could spark a relationship or two. Take a listen below.
Chronicles is out on March 31st.
