For those not in the know, Eddy Lee Ryder has just released her debut EP, Expected to Fly (out now via Head Bitch Music).

A ready and willing mistress of everything from murder ballads to love songs and upbeat party tunes, Ryder’s intricate storytelling twists and turns over staccato electric guitars, moody piano, and center-stage drums that nod to the extravagance of the ‘80s.

A classically trained musician and opera singer, Ryder was obsessed with music of all genres growing up. Falling in love with Peter Gabriel and Fleetwood Mac helped push her to start writing her own songs.

As she grew, she began to take inspiration from eclectic people she met while driving around the country, as well as examining her own life.

1. 'Expected To Fly'
2. 'Silver Chain'
3. 'There In Dreams'
4. 'Small Apartment'
5. 'Vultures'

Opening with the soulful, foot-tappin' AOR of the Fleetwood Mac-esque title track, 'Expected To Fly,' that's backed by the free flowing, at times lyrically vibrated, Nicks-infused 'Silver Chain,' and then comes one of my own personal favorites, the beautiful track, 'There In Dreams.'

The foot-tappin' '80s-ibued, Go-Go's elegance of 'Small Apartment' (which also contains noted passages of '50s all-girl group harmonies) is up next and then the vibrant EP closes on her strongest vocal performance, the deeply emotive, low slung 'Vultures.'

The exuberant title track captures that recognizable moment when desperation becomes either a breakthrough or a big fall. “I think it’s a mix of feeling both defeated and hopeful,” Ryder says.

That dichotomy is also evident in 'Silver Chain,' which is about “... wanting to live a wild and carefree life, but also having that fear that you might end up being an old decrepit person sitting in a bar,” Ryder explains. “It’s seeing that future closing in on you.”

Perhaps the most vulnerable song on the EP, 'There In Dreams,' is about Ryder’s father who passed away when she was 16, and how she hopes he is proud of her when she sees him in her dreams.

'Vultures' ponders a toxic relationship over piano and prickling snare drum, and in 'Small Apartment,' Ryder puts herself under a microscope, telling the true tale of a disgruntled downstairs neighbor.

'Small Apartment' (Official Music Video)

'Silver Chain' (Official Music Video)

Official Purchase Links

www.eddyleeryder.com

Eddy Lee Ryder @ Facebook

Eddy Lee Ryder @ Twitter

Eddy Lee Ryder @ Instagram