Madeline Merlo: ‘One House Down’ – EP Review

Madeline Merlo shares brand new EP, One House Down, officially out now, October 11th on all streaming platforms. Learn more and listen to the new project below.

For Madeline Merlo, her new EP One House Down (from the girl next door) finds her moving on from a breakup and dealing with the aftermath of a broken heart. The six song collection allows the BBR Music Group/ BMG Nashville recording artist to continue her meteoric rise in the genre, pairing poignant lyricism with a pristine storyteller style and pop-country sensibilities.

The 30-year-old Canadian chanteuse co-wrote each of the EP’s six tracks, produced by Zach Crowell, and telling the tale of a breakup and all that comes along with it. With a raw authenticity and prowess for evocative lyrics, Merlo truly crafts portraits of heartbreak, heartache, and grief.

“I’m a very deep feeler. I always say I feel like my heart’s on fire all the time,” Merlo shares in a statement. “It’s a superpower, but it’s also hard because the world can feel really heavy sometimes. This project is my struggle through finding myself and finding myself in love, and I wrote these songs for my younger self – for those moments when she really needed them.”

This is immediately evident on the album’s stirring opener, “Broken Heart Thing,” which pairs her with Dustin Lynch. On the heartache-laden duet, they trade verses about the unfamiliar feelings that come along with the discomfort and shock of a newly severed relationship.

“‘Cause I’m still getting used to this broken heart thing // Sit in the dark thing // Smiling when I’m falling apart thing // Pictures in hallways, hearing our song play // Thinking ’bout you all night and all day // Missing you’s different drinking alone // If you see my name come across your phone // Sorry, baby, I’m still new to this // I’m still getting used to this broken heart thing”

Both “Bar Fight” and “Same Car” find her grappling with relationship devastation, the latter showing the epicly relatable battle between heart and head. “Lonely wants to call him and logic says don’t,” She sings, voice entrenched in emotion. “My heart and my mind are in a bar fight over you.” Meanwhile, “Same Car” is a poetic look at the wild juxtaposition of memories a place like a car can hold, from an amazing first kiss to a devastating breakup.

“On a two-lane road Tracing hearts on the windows // Out with the headlights low // Thought I saw forever in a dashboard glow but // That’s the trouble with promises made in the dark // Sometimes you run out of stars It’s the same front seat // Where I fell for you It’s same cross hangin’ from the same rearview // It’s the same four wheels // Where you broke my heart// It’s hard to believe it’s the same car // It’s the same car”

Both “Middle of the Bed” and “Good Grief” find Merlo desperate to come out on the other side, knowing her decision is right but feeling her subconscious longing for an ex. “Middle” is a catchy and anthemic pop country gem, while “Grief” allows her to traverse the long journey to acceptance.

The collection ends with its title track, a uniquely infectious take on being the one who isn’t quite perfect, but being okay with it. “When I wrote that song, it felt so representative of me and my whole life,” she says. “I always felt like I was one house down from people with perfect lives and perfect families. And I know that’s not true, but that otherness and not feeling good enough has impacted me in different ways. One of them was through love – I feel like I’ve always stumbled my way through it.”

For Madeline Merlo, the six tracks on One House Down reflect a path to healing and acceptance that anyone can relate to, just like the title track. “At the end of the day, if they feel like they are one house down from the girl next door and not enough, I hope this EP can feel really honest,” she shares. “I hope it makes people feel heard, seen and understood.”

One House Down Track List:

1. Broken Heart Thing (feat. Dustin Lynch) (Madeline Merlo, James McNair, Michael Tyler, Lalo Guzman,  Zach Crowell)
2. Bar Fight (Madeline Merlo, Seth Mosley, Claire Douglas)
3. Same Car (Madeline Merlo, Sara Haze, Jason Saenz, Zach Crowell, Josh Osborne)
4. Middle of the Bed (Madeline Merlo, Sam Ellis, Kyle Sturrock)
5. Good Grief (Madeline Merlo, Jimmy Robbins, Anna Vaus, Micah Carpenter)
6. One House Down (from the girl next door) (Madeline Merlo, Seth Mosley, Emily Weisband, James McNair)

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One House Down is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.