Gone West's Debut EP "Tides"

You discover Colbie Caillat’s hit song, “Bubbly” in 2007. Throughout the years you begin to lose touch and wonder “where did that lovely singer go?”

Well, to answer your burning question, Caillat recently formed a new band with fiancé Justin Young and close friends Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy. They’re called Gone West and they offer a wonderful blending of country and pop music. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of country music but each of the four songs on their debut EP, Tides—which dropped on January 18, 2019—share a different story. The four members have combined their personal talents to create four new, unique songs that offer a warm and welcoming vibe to the listener.

Tides opens up with a lovely autobiographical song titled “Gone West.” Honestly, if you listen to any song off of this EP, it has to be this song. It’s the story of the band. It’s the ultimate track of the four talented members that explains a dear love for their personal hometowns while incorporating these emotions into their newest home of Nashville, Tennessee. This song not only opens up the EP with cordial arms, but it gives us a perspective of who the members of Gone West really are. For their first EP, it’s a wonderful debut and insight on their lives and what we ought to expect for future music.

To me, these songs are refreshing and calming. It’s always a lovely feeling to listen to a group of soothing songs to take a step back from our stressful lives. Personally, I think the second track, “Home Is Where The Heartbreak Is” offers just this opportunity. The whole song is filled with relaxing harmonies and tranquil instrumentals that may help listeners overcome stress and fear.

“Confetti” is the third, and my personal favorite, track off of Gone West’s EP. This is a song filled with a wonderful mindset. Caillat told Billboard that “[Gone West] thought it would be cool to flip the script lyrically on a breakup song where when you get out of a bad relationship, you should celebrate it.” That being said, it is the ideal feel-good song that perfectly represents celebrating after a failed relationship. Don’t forget this: “no tears fell, just confetti.”

Concluding the four-song EP is a peaceful track about appreciating our lives titled “This Time.” It’s a bittersweet three minute reminder of how short our lives truly are. Gone West sings, “next time, there might not be a this time.” Truly, they are correct. This song opens up a viewpoint to the world and how we should learn to love the life we are living.