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Chloe Qisha – ‘One’ EP review: infectious pop that’s equally slick and sensitive

The British-Malaysian singer makes her debut with intelligent, soulful lyricism and pure pop perfection

It hasn’t been half a year since her debut single, but singer-songwriter Chloe Qisha has already found her voice. The Malaysian-born, UK-based singer’s debut EP ‘One’ sound has an unpretentious, analog charm about it, even during her more polished, alt-pop moments. It’s a brilliant first glimpse into her vision of pop and her candid, honest lyricism.

Echoes of upbeat 80s pop ring through the nostalgia-tinged opening track ‘I Lied, I’m Sorry’, which immediately sets expectations high with its slick production and undeniable groove. Qisha’s crooning, whispered delivery here is impeccable, tailored to express the tension between the track’s playful lust and the underlying uncertainty attached to it as she finally admits her intense, visceral longing for its subject.

Every bit as evocative is ‘Sexy Goodbye’, a disco-influenced number on which the singer blithely bids a former lover farewell with style. Crowning herself the winner of the breakup, she takes witty jabs at her ex, who instead fills the void with meaningless sex. “Oh you’re leaving, that’s regrettable / That saves a call to pest control / I’m waiting for your karma while / You’rе waiting on a booty call,” she recites coolly in its second verse.

Meanwhile, the pop-punk-influenced ‘Evelyn’ – arguably the record’s strongest track – is where the cracks in Qisha’s nonchalance begin to show. ‘Evelyn’ is so painfully honest about the full-fledged ugliness of jealousy and unrequited love that it reads like a mid-breakdown diary entry. “She’s everything, I wanna crawl into her skin / Maybe then you’ll notice me / Notice it, it’s obvious, it’s obvious,” she laments over a cascade of distorted guitar riffs, all her previously slick pop stylings out the window.

‘Scary Movie’ showcases a softer, mellower side to Qisha as she compares her dating life to a horror film. Here, she expresses her anxieties surrounding her relationships (“I’m afraid of everyone I love / My face between my fingers have come undone”) through hushed sighs over a downbeat guitar instrumental and fuzzy synths.

Intimate piano-led ballad ‘VCR Home Video’ concludes the EP, which sees Qisha masterfully chronicle the growing pains of her relationship with her parents through her transition to adulthood. “Open up a can of worms / I was your child but somehow the roles reversed,” she shares, reckoning with the regretful realisation that her adolescent quarrels have pained her parents as much as they did her.

Throughout ‘One’, the budding musician hits every emotional note exactly how she intends to with her clever and vulnerable songwriting. Not a single moment in her music comes off as superficial or impersonal, even on the coldly chic ‘Sexy Goodbye’. From start to finish, ‘One’ points to a promising future for Qisha on the horizon.

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• Release date: November 15, 2024
• Record label: VLF Records