Hayley Reardon, a teenage girl from a Boston suburb, has just released her most recent EP, Wayfindings. She has been named a 2012 Bostonian Of The Year and a peer spokesperson for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Her song “She’s Falling,” from her debut release, Where The Artists Go, has been used as part of PACER’s campaign to end bullying in schools, as it is about the tragic case of Phoebe Prince. Wayfindings was made with the intent of creating a folk rock album, inspired by her experiences as a teenager and the music with which she grew up.
The record opens with “Nervous,” a song that immediately shows the listener the power of Hayley Reardon’s soft, whispery voice. The second track, “Numb And Blue,” is the first single off the EP. It features the surprisingly deep and relatable lyrics, “I guess I’m just as naïve as they warned me I would be.” It’s set to the ethereal, dreamy sound of a lone guitar, and deals with the heartbreak that every teenage girl knows all too well. The closer, “Make Some Good,” solidifies the theme of Reardon’s music: That you should try your best to add some greatness to the world, and reduce the amount of evil.
Wayfindings is an impressive album, not only because the artist behind it is only 17, but because it deals with themes to which nearly everyone can connect. Just like Lorde has recently reached superstar status at such a young age, Hayley Reardon has the talent to do the same.
In A Word: Sophisticated
