Somewhere between the lovestruck whimsy of Taylor Swift’s surefire pop hits and Adele’s somber, heartbroken love ballads lies Ellie Bleach and her growing library of cynical, Lo-fi alternative pop songs. The 22-year-old from England has just landed on the scene, but already she has made a noteworthy impression. Allusions to many classic movies and celebrities, a wide variety of musical tones in her songs, and Bleach’s earnest and incredibly personal lyrics are just some of the reasons critics and fans alike have come to appreciate her fresh take on love songs. Because above all, Ellie Bleach’s songs acknowledge that though trying numerous times to find the “right one” and ending up heartbroken may be sad, more often than not, it’s just simply annoying.
Funny enough, Bleach did not originally foresee a future in the music industry. It wasn’t until she began attending the University of East Anglia, where she currently studies English literature and was offered the opportunity to create music that she even began to write her songs. Though she came from a very musical background, Ellie often avoided delving into the world of songwriting and performing. In her own words, Bleach has always wanted to avoid being, “a musical cliche…another girl with a guitar singing sad songs.” Though Bleach admits frequently to crying and feeling depressed in her songs, overall the stories her songs tell are in retrospect, where Bleach often beats herself up for not seeing the red flags earlier on, or wonders why people even bother initiating anything romantically when it all ends up being a waste of time. This is best shown in her song “Leave Me Alone” where she recounts almost being ready to move on from a failed relationship before she gets a text from her ex that sends her spiraling back into her post-breakup sadness. ‘Why bother?’ is the main question behind most of her songs. She also frequently reminisces about her own embarrassing history of love stories, such as the time she got dumped at a costume party dressed as Jackie Kennedy, which she touches upon in her newest single “Jackie O.” Bleach sings about the aspects of relationships that others gloss over: the awkward talking stages, the amount of effort put forward to look and be appealing, and the monotony of starting things over again after things don’t work out.
The pursuit of your perfect match is a frustrating experience. As most people will tell you, and more often than not, it’ll take a few attempts before you click with anyone. The “talking” stage can be annoying, and the idea that things might not go anywhere or you’ll end up heartbroken are enough to deter anyone from wanting to try. Anyone on Tinder can attest to that. I myself have gone through those awkward initial conversations and first dates, started mainly through Instagram, Tinder (or some other apps I’m not particularly fond or proud of using and won’t disclose here) only to have ended up ghosted, bored, or sad—shoutout to my boyfriend for being amazing and ending that cycle. Bleach writes songs about THAT side of finding love, but even if the source material gets you down in the dumps, Bleach’s songs are always tinged with a hint of a comedic overtone. Sometimes it’s amusing to look back on how you’ve messed up; these mistakes are lessons you can use when you try to romance your next love interest or at least provide you with funny stories you can tell others.
Though it all sounds a bit heartbreaking, Bleach’s peppy tunes and the little comedic lines scattered throughout her lyrics make one thing clear: no matter how disheartening or annoying this all can be, in the end, it’s still worth it to find the one that makes you forget it all happened (also men ain’t sh*t).
