When Emily Blue opens the track “Cellophane” with the line, “Don’t you wish everything was still like it was back then?” it could easily be interpreted as the voice of her detractors, both musical and ideological.

Blue’s latest EP, *69, dropped last Friday and is another evolution of her art, leaving behind her more subtle offerings for loud, sensual, danceable pop aimed at smashing the patriarchy. It is at once fun and socially conscious.

Opener “Microscope” is much more layered and spastic than her previous releases, analyzing sexual autonomy, as Blue sings, “And you know how it goes, the lights go up / And suddenly you’re under the microscope and everyone wants to see”. Later, on the bass-heavy “Dum Blonde”, as if to hammer home *69’s most important refrain, she repeatedly exclaims, “You’ve got to know your power”.

“Falling in Love” is an alt throwback number blended with modern indie pop while “Waterfallz” shows off Blue’s vocal abilities with a soaring chorus. Across the EP’s five tracks, Emily Blue expands her sonic capabilities while building on her commanding themes of female empowerment and self-discovery.

Delightfully entertaining and a vitally important listen, *69 is the perfect end-of-summer EP. You can stream *69 on Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.

by Kiel Hauck

Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.