"Yuppie" by Ginger Taylor
In December of 2019, while on a hunt for new music I came across Ginger Taylor’s latest EP, a collection of songs titled Yuppie. Upon listening, the introduction to and self released set of four dreamy indie pop songs caught me off guard by its incredible sound quality. Yet even more surprisingly, at the time of writing, her top song only had ~40,000 streams. This just seemed shocking unreflective of how good her music is. So here I am, trying to fix that.
Taylor begins her EP with an introduction, a song called “Prologue.” It’s got a retro quality to it and is coupled with the scratchy voice of a radio announcer. He explains that the social debut of a yuppie “is a coming out party” and uses this blatantly ironic phrasing to emphasize how easily a yuppie can become an outcast. Continuing into an interview, the same announcer then asks a young woman how she feels that her neighbors look at her with envy. She then says that she is in fact miserable due to the envy of those around her who stare. Now that we know what a yuppie is, the story of the EP reveals itself with the first song, “Yuppie.”
Although the production is thoughtful and well done on “Prologue,” the title track “Yuppie” is where Taylor shines the most on this whole EP. Sung from the perspective of a girl who will go on dates with someone but refuses to bring him into her house or life. Yuppie is against vulnerability. A feeling that Taylor wants, but fears she has too much to lose. It begins with synth and a beat that is incredibly reminiscent of the 80’s. Much like “Lovewave” by The 1-800. I would even compare “Yuppie” to some of the work by The Japanese House. It has the same sort of powerful, consuming sound where I just want to sway and sing along. Yet, something about “Yuppie” makes it unique. I think of it as falling into a daydream somewhere with loud music. To me, It’s the epitome of dream pop. Ginger Taylor captured exactly what makes dream pop dream pop while creating her own noise and making a place for herself.
“Yuppie” is followed by “99,” a track which has a harsher beat but retains the same dreamlike qualities. Taylor’s voice reflects a shift in lyrical content and tone. She goes from not wanting to be vulnerable to declaring that she’s living her own life, “Since I’ve learned to fly, I’ll say my goodbye’s.” Because of this, “99” feels less like a contemplation or daydream and more like a march towards what she wants. It sounds as though Taylor realized that whatever she was afraid of losing in “Yuppie,” whether it be her status or friends, means nothing if she loses the freedom of making her own choices. Taylor is placing herself and emotional connection over her status.
“Seaside Arms,” the fourth track on the EP, is the song that originally led me to look into Taylor. It lacks the synth that “Yuppie” and “99” carry, favoring a softer, sweeter approach and a lot of guitar. When I listen to it, I feel like I’m driving next to the ocean in an indie movie. It’s like I can smell the ocean, hear the waves and feel the wind in my hair. “Seaside Arms” reflects that feeling in its lyrics too. Although trying to prevent herself from getting too wrapped up in somebody, she knowingly sings that “It won’t be long until you make me stay.” Going from “Yuppie” through “99” and to “Seaside Arms,” Taylor grows from someone who is afraid of vulnerability to someone who is scared but is willing to risk being hurt for the good part of things. She is telling us that experiencing love can be worth the pain of being vulnerable.
Going in, I thought the last song, “Epilogue,” was simply going to be a callback to “Prologue.” Instead, it keeps the motif of dreaming and dreamlike sounds while feeling haunting at the same time. It opens with the same voice in “Prologue” but dives into a small set of lyrics which explain that sometimes we don’t know we’re getting hurt because we’re distracted by the good.
Overall, I would definitely recommend listening to Ginger Taylor’s Yuppie if you have a soft spot for indie pop. This EP impressed me and I’m excited to see what she does next. The production on her work is remarkable. She puts a lot of care into making each track unique while also keeping the same themes throughout.. Going forth, I plan to keep an eye on Ginger Taylor.
– Ellie Haljun