Kevin Garrett’s Journey Of Self-Discovery On Made Up Lost Time
Since beginning his journey as an artist with ‘Mellow Drama’ in 2015, singer-songwriter Kevin Garrett has remained an enigma with undeniable penmanship. Each metaphorical painting a masterpiece in its own right, Garrett has enchanted global audiences with his ability to tug on our heartstrings.
Shrouded in mystery the alternative R&B singer only ever revealed enough for listeners to begin to piece small parts of the story together; that is until now.
Don’t expect a tell-all. Made up Lost Time is definitely not that, but the singer has ripped off the band-aid when it comes to describing how he feels.
Fans saw touches of this introspection on songs like ‘Just Because’, but this time feels different.
Ever the poet, the project’s lyricism, of course, is still remarkable, but for the first time, it feels as though Garrett trusts his audience and himself enough to dive a little deeper into the detail and discuss the parts of his experiences that were a little more uncomfortable.
Rather fittingly the 5 track EP opens with a track entitled ‘Tell You How I’m Feeling’ where Garrett writes an open letter to what appears to be an ex-lover. Remaining true the artist we’ve grown to love the project is filled with a variety of piano-driven melodies.
“I made this with the intention of getting past parts of me I thought were problems due to other people’s expectations,”
Garrett said in a statement about the EP.
“I ended up embracing those parts. It’s important to live deliberately, such that the idea of lost time is not real, made up.”
That said, Garrett’s sound continues to evolve with him. As his confidence grows, so does the melodic boundaries the singer is willing to push. Pre-existing works like ‘False Hope’ have seen Garrett play things relatively safe with production, with the main emotional driver stemming from his passion-filled vocal delivery.
Thankfully over-kill on instrumental layering has never been Garrett’s means of expression, but the symphonic synths and ethereal falsetto on ‘Can’t Come Back’ will placate your need for dramatic production.
While parts of this EP still cling to remnants of the singer’s affinity to an acoustic sound as exemplified by ‘Gone Again’, for the most part, the production elements of Made Up Lost Time suggest that Garrett remains open to experimenting with his particular take on alternative R&B. Something which only excites me for what the future holds.
Made Up Lost Time also, see the singer leaning into a more pop centered sound as seen on tracks like ‘Keep you waiting’. Previous works like ‘In Case I Don’t Feel’, have shown that Garrett has never been afraid to dance with the shadows exploring a number of darker emotions. Lyrically this has always been the side of Garrett I prefer – what can I say I guess I’m a cynic.
The running theme throughout this EP is the idea of taking back control and placing how you feel about yourself over the opinions of others, speaking to feelings of finding out who you are before inviting someone else into your world.
As for whether the singer is going through a heartbreak of sorts or has simply arrived at an uncomfortable point of clarity, I guess that’s a question for Kevin. So for now, take a listen to Made Up Lost Time right here and let me know what you think: