In her second endeavour as Any Girl – the brainchild of Australian producer, singer, and songwriter Reija Lee – delivers an enchanting twist on the genre of country-pop with her newest offering ‘Underachiever’, as she takes listeners on a lyrical journey exploring the intricacies of imposter syndrome.
Building on the momentum of her debut single back in July, this time around, Any Girl dives into a countryside-inspired ballad that doubles as an emotionally charged anthem across 3-minutes and 30 seconds. Any Girl’s ‘Underachiever’ is an artistic metamorphosis for the artist herself. Collaborating with producer and guitarist Jesse Pattinson (known for his work with The Delta Riggs) on the track, the songwriting process was swift but soul-baring her.
“It’s about the moments when everyone around you is telling you how great and talented you are, but inside all you can think is “I actually have no idea what I’m doing!,” Any Girl says about her single. “I figured the best way to fight the demons was just to put them out there for all to see – and I had no fear doing it because I know there are plenty of others out there who feel the same way.”
When it comes to the sonic landscape of the song, it’s the vocals that continue to pique my interest in the Any Girl project, as the vocals – and lyrical storytelling – give off a distinctive emotive delivery, telling the overall story with each note. Production-wise, this song is a delicious mix of digital beats and authentic instrumentals – where at times it felt like I was listening to an Alvvays song – artistic fearlessness that’s inspiring.
It would be an understatement to say that Any Girl’s emotional depths are the only aspect on full display narratively with this song, as the underlying guidance of sounds round out really well.
Just for educative purposes, it’s meant to be “pique” my interest, not “peak”, as you have written.