Tigirlily: Self-titled EP Review | Country Swag
Tigirlily’s debut self-titled EP is out today, July 9, on all streaming platforms. Featuring songs co-written by Shane McAnally, Walker Hayes, Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen, and more, check out the full review below.
There’s something extra special about sibling harmonies, and Tigirlily has that something special in spades. Composed of sisters Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh, the pair named their band Tigirlily after a flower in their parents’ North Dakota garden, the tigerlily. According to Country Now, they changed the spelling to add some girl power to their name.
The ladies of Tigirlily list their inspirations as the Chicks, Sugarland, and Rascal Flatts, and their debut EP has that early 2000’s-inspired sound that’s been missing from country music in the last decade. Produced by Shane McAnally and Louis Newman, the Monument Records debut EP features five tracks co-written by the sisters, along with the likes of McAnally, Josh Osborne, Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen, and labelmates Walker Hayes and Brandon Ratcliff.
The EP opens with the twangy “My Thang,” co-written by Hayes, an airy ode to dealing with all the obstacles that life throws at you. “We wrote ‘My Thang’ as a reminder to ourselves that no matter what life throws our way, we’re going to be alright if we just keep “doin’ our thang,” says the duo in a statement. “This song is everything we’ve experienced in our lives, especially in the last year. From ‘barely making rent’ to ‘killing it at work,’ from ‘swiping on tinder’ to being ‘swept off our feet,’ from feeling like ‘oh no’ to ‘it’s gonna be a good day.’ Life is supposed to be full of ups and downs, it’s how we learn, so we should just enjoy and keep doing our thang.”
“Somebody Does” is a powerful message of hope, geared at anyone who’s struggling with day-to-day life. On the heart-stopping ballad, Tigirlily wishes that the listener could see themselves through the eyes of those who love them. It may sound cliche, but this is the type of important country song that the genre needs, offering support and empowerment to its listeners. As cheesy as it may sound, this is the type of song that has the potential to save a life. Over twangy guitars, the pair sings, “I don’t know who needs to hear this // But you should know you’re somebody’s reason // For gettin’ out of bed in the mornin’ // You’re just what somebody’s needin’ // Even if you don’t see it // You better believe you’re somebody’s more than enough // I don’t know who needs to hear this // But I know, somebody does.”
Meanwhile, the trend of struggling through life yet finding solidarity continues on “Everybody’s On Something,” which twists into a love song. Whether it’s a business trip, a diet or a prescription, everybody’s on something, and they “just wish their something was you.”
“Dig Yourself” is a perfectly crafted woman-scorned anthem, the pair singing of an ex who is just a little too full of himself. The girls are moving on here, inviting an ex to dig himself a hole to China, where he may never “find someone who loves you as much as you.” Co-written by Rosen, McAnally, and Osborne, “Dig Yourself” is a polished piece of pop-country perfection, basically engineered for country radio, and that’s not a bad thing.
The Tigirlily self-titled EP ends with “Known You Forever,” a song celebrating enduring friendships and lifelong relationships. The breezy track celebrates those whom “You still know their home phone number by heart // They’ll be there in the end // Because they were there from the start.” Sometimes it takes the perspective of a lifelong friend to make things make sense, and this song truly captures that. “You think you know you // But they know you better,” They sing. “Sometimes you need someone who’s known you forever.”
In a press release, Tigirlily shared “When writing these songs for our EP, we wanted to share hints of who we are as people, artists, and sisters. Our hope is that this EP changes the course of people’s day for the better and brings some light into the world.”
Tigirlily’s self-titled EP does just that, providing songs for the good times and the bad, offering a musical ray of sunshine, perfect for summertime.
Country Swag Picks:
- “Dig Yourself”
- “My Thang”
Tigirlily EP Tracklist:
- My Thang: Written by Kendra Jo Slaubaugh / Krista Jade Slaubaugh / Walker Hayes
- Somebody Does: Written by Kendra Jo Slaubaugh / Krista Jade Slaubaugh / Zarni deVette
- Dig Yourself: Written by Kendra Jo Slaubaugh / Krista Jade Slaubaugh / Trevor Rosen / Shane McAnally / Josh Osborne
- Everybody’s On Something: Written by Kendra Jo Slaubaugh / Krista Jade Slaubaugh / Walker Hayes
- Known You Forever: Written by Kendra Jo Slaubaugh / Krista Jade Slaubaugh / Pete Good / Brandon Ratcliff
Tigirlily’s debut EP is out now, July 9th, on all streaming platforms
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In the next few months, Tigirlily will play shows around Nashville, as well as their home state of North Dakota with some festival stops along the way. For a full list of tour dates, visit their website here.
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Tigirlily EP is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
