NYCS First Impression: Lauren Duski ‘Midwestern Girl’
Although 2019 just started, women in country music are coming out full force this year, proving that they deserve the same recognition and praise as men in the genre. Another talented female country artist, Lauren Duski is taking country music by storm with the release of her breathtaking debut EP entitled Midwestern Girl (2/20).
As the runner-up on Blake Shelton’s team on the 12th season of The Voice, Duski is now making a name for herself as an independent artist in the industry. After crafting her skills as both a singer and a songwriter, she delivers an EP complete with five tracks.
The record opens up with a string-based instrumental track that pays homage to Duski’s Michigan roots, “Journey of a Midwestern Girl.” The instrumental sets the tone for the rest of the EP beautifully. The first lyrical track featured is the songstress’ debut single, “Costume Party.” Her honesty and depth radiate throughout the entire song, navigating the emotions associated with being authentic to yourself and “leaving the mask at home.” Duski pours her heart into the song, which really resonated with fans so much that they created their own touching videos, which the singer later combined into its own music video. Check the video out below.
The next song on Midwestern Girl, is “Runnin’ (To You).” The mid-tempo song is Duski’s version of a love song, starting off slower and speeding up as the song progresses. She admits on the track that she has had her guard up with love, but learns that she was inadvertently running to a certain person as she continued on her journey. The chorus is sure to get stuck in the listeners head after just one spin. “I was running around like it was some kind of race / Doesn’t slow me down, no baby / Couldn’t of planned this / Don’t understand it, but I was on my way / Didn’t have a clue, all this time / I was runnin’ to you / I was runnin’ to you.”
The collection of songs continues with “Heart Hurt Good.” Continuing with her unique story-telling ability, Duski tells the story of falling in love with someone, who makes her heart feel full. She calls the feeling her “heart hurt[ing] good.” The song definitely has radio single potential, as it’s catchy and relatable.
The record closes out with arguably the most poignant song on the EP, “The Weather (Grandpa’s Song).” Deeply personal, Duski shares how her grandfather is dealing with grief from losing his wife, her grandmother. Although a tearjerker, the song’s vulnerability and raw lyrics is truly unmatched. She ends the song singing the sentiment “it’s okay we can talk about the weather.” Following the ending lyric, Duski included a phone message from her late grandmother, which, although heartbreaking, allows fans to form a personal connection with the artist and makes you want to genuinely root for her success.
Overall, Duski’s debut EP is a great body of work, giving us a sneak peek of what we can expect to hear on a full-length album of hers in the future. Midwestern Girl is available across all platforms. Make sure to keep up with Duski on Instagram and Twitter.
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