#Rolling Up The Welcome Mat

[carlytayjepsen]

some songs/lyrics as monopoly cards 🎲

[septaylorsversion]

underrated duo taylor & kelsea✨

[humblequestvinyl]

mountain with a view

MOUNTAIN WITH A VIEW, EDDIE DIAZ X FEM!READER

APART OF THE ‘ROLLING UP THE WELCOME MAT’ SERIES

SUMMARY: after one too many late nights, y/n l/n is sitting at their kitchen table, debating if her and her husband's marriage is even worth fighting for.

inspired by mountain with a view, by kelsea ballerini

previous chapter, | next chapter,

lowercase is intentional! wc: 1.9k

warning: angst!!!!! swearing, marriage problems, trust issues (?) if there’s anything i missed let me know!

a/n: AHHH NEW SERIES W EDDIE <33! i'm so excited for this!! also my deepest apologies in advance bc i am so mean to eddie in this LMFAOO hope u guys enjoy <333

“COUNTRY STAR Y/N L/N HAS FILED FOR DIVORCE FROM HER HUSBAND, EDDIE DIAZ AFTER FIVE YEARS OF MARRIAGE.”

the voice of a news reporter flooded through the tv as photos of the former couple were placed on the screen. 

“L/N on instagram asked her fans on instagram to be mindful, and that both parties are fragile, and to respect their privacy.”the reporter went on, before a photo flashed of the h/c girl, “L/N is currently gearing up for her fifth album release; SUBJECT TO CHANGE this september.”

the video came to a stop, and she saw her best friend standing in front of her, with a horrified look on his face, “you and eddie are getting a divorce?” her heart hurt. this wasn’t how she wanted him to find out.

“it was bound to happen buck.”y/n’s voice was strained due to all of the crying she had done for the past two months, with a heavy feeling in her chest, “you and i both saw this coming.”

“i didn’t.” evan buckley’s voice dropped, and y/n slipped the shades to the top of her head, revealing her bloodshot eyes, “never once did i see this coming.”

“this wasn’t how we wanted you to find out.”her voice cracked, playing with the strings of her hoodie, “eddie said he was going to call you about it.” buck’s eyes watched as the girl avoided his eyes, refusing to make contact with them, knowing if she did she would probably burst into tears.

“why did you file for divorce?”

(TWO MONTHS BEFORE.)

STARING OUT THE BIG OPEN WINDOWS OF THEIR PENTHOUSE,

y/n could see the sun rising as she finished making breakfast for her and her stepson, making sure to leave some for her husband in case he came home in time.

eddie diaz and y/n l/n had first met when she was 21, and he was 23, one kick-starting on their music career, while one had just become a single parent to a son from a former marriage. somehow, they still made it work. getting married at 23 and 25,  going from texas, to los angeles, becoming a mother figure to his son chris, and making sure she could still go on tour.

they thought they had it all figured out, with everything working and a fixed schedule.

until they didn't.

so here she sat, waiting for her husband to come home while her stepson got ready for school, knowing she’d have to force a smile, make everything seem like it was okay, and be able to play the part of the perfect wife, perfect wife. it wasn’t until she smelt smoke that y/n realized the toast was burnt to absolute crisp, and was ruined, meaning she’d have to make more.  

“shit.”she muttered, rushing to make more, as she saw chris come down the hallway, and she forced a smile, brushing her h/c hair out of her face, making sure to tie it back.

“did you burn the toast again?”chris asked with a smile, and y/n forced a laugh, nodding before she brought over a plate with pancakes and eggs on them. “unfortunately, i did. i’m making more right now.”

a knock on the front door came, before it opened, revealing carla, and she had a wide smile spread across her face as she came in, and y/n waved as the toast popped up, less burnt than before. quickly placing it on a plate, and putting it on the table, making it so chris would be able to get to school on time.

“you go get ready for the day, i’ll make sure chris eats.”carla told the 28 year old, giving her a soft smile, and y/n nodded, before rushing off towards her room, and grabbing the clothing she needed for that day.

walking into the bathroom after she had changed, her eyes glanced down, seeing a wedding band that wasn’t hers sitting on the counter. 

it was her husband’s.

she felt anger run through her, with a million thoughts racing through her mind. why would he take it off? or why did he leave it at home? did he forget it? did he take it off intentionally before he left for work? 

why did he take it off?

“bye n/n!’chris yelled, breaking the girl out of her thoughts, and she gripped the counter, trying to keep her anger under check. “have a good day at school chris!”she yelled back, and the front door slammed, as she took a deep breath in.

it was a few moments before she walked back out towards the kitchen, noticing everything was put away, except for the burnt toast. opening up her refrigerator, y/n grabbed the butter out, and brought it over towards the kitchen table, before spreading the butter against the toast, and taking a bite out of it.

her eyes scanned back over the mountains as the clock struck 7:30 am, realizing her husband was over three hours late coming home, and had missed seeing his son in the morning for the second time that week.

it killed her. it absolutely killed her that he wasn’t coming home, and she was the one who was carrying all of that weight on her shoulders, trying to keep this marriage going when it was all one sided. she felt like a glass plate, and was breaking into a million pieces.

hearing boots come towards her, her head snapped towards it, seeing her husband eddie diaz walking towards her, before placing a kiss on the top of her head, with no words spoken between the two.  the tension in the air made her uncomfortable. it was so thick that you could almost cut it through it with a knife.

it was a while before any words were spoken between the two, and when they were, they were laced with anger and confusion.

“you left your ring at home.”y/n spoke up, taking another bite of the burnt toast, afraid to see the look her husband was giving her, “and you were late coming home again.”

“i forgot it when i left.”eddie admitted, glancing over at his wife for a moment, before looking back at his plate of food, “and i was finishing up something with buck.”

wrong. he wasn’t with buck, because buck had texted y/n back at five, saying he hadn’t seen eddie since he left his shift at 4am. 

“what? you don’t believe me?”eddie questioned, as y/n got up to throw the toast away, keeping silent for a moment, debating on how to handle the situation, before she shook her head no.

“i don’t believe you.”y/n admitted, placing the plate in the sink, avoiding eye contact with him, and she could feel the anger radiating off of him, “because buck texted me at five that he hadn’t seen you since you left your shift at four.”

she saw eddie freeze, knowing he had gotten caught into a lie, and y/n had seen right through it. he wouldn’t be able to hide whatever he was away for.

“okay fine, i wasn’t with buck.”eddie admitted, causing y/n to lean up against the kitchen counter, facing her husband to read his body language.

“so, where were you?”

“i don’t understand why you need to know.”eddie shrugged, getting defensive, causing y/n to read all the red flag, “it doesn’t matter to you at all.”

“it does matter to me eddie.”y/n spoke softly, fearing of an argument breaking out, but it was enviable with the two. “i want to make sure you’re not sitting in the goddamn morgue.”

“well guess what, i’m not.”eddie spewed, catching y/n off guard, “i’m standing right in front of you, trying to eat breakfast while you’re bothering me.”

“because i want for you to realize that i’m worried about you.”she told him, and she could tell he was dismissive, “i wait up for you every night, only for you to not come home until chris is about to leave for school.”

“and i never asked you to do that.”he stabbed his eggs with his fork, and y/n tensed up, “that’s your own doing for staying up and waiting.” y/n gave him a look as she took his words like gut punches, making her absolutely sick, “maybe you should just stop staying up and waiting.”

“maybe you should come home on time.”y/n shot back, folding her arms as she watched him closely, “to the family you have. to your son.”

“i do!”eddie defended, and y/n shook her head, “no you don’t! for the past four months you’ve been late coming home after every single shift eddie!” 

“you’re forgetting your ring, you’re not coming home on time and you’re distant.”y/n pointed out as eddie brushed past her to put his plate in the sink, and walked towards their shared bathroom, slipping his wedding band on, “there! are you happy now?”

“no i’m not!”y/n exclaimed as eddie started to change, and she followed him, “we’ve been in and out of therapy for the past three years and absolutely nothing has changed eddie. i’m so tired of it.”

“i mentally cannot handle another year of us being just fine.”y/n whispered, causing eddie to snap his head towards her, with a shocked look spread across his face, “what are you trying to say?”

“i want a divorce.”y/n spoke aloud, making all of her feelings real, and she saw eddie’s face fall.

“you want a divorce? all because i’m taking extra shifts to try and provide for our family? to pay for the mortgage for the house you insisted we had to have.”he shot back, and y/n felt her anger bubble over, causing her to snap, “you don’t even pay for the house! i do! it’s under my name and everything! not yours!”

“i’m the one who pays for the cleaners, the groceries, the electric!”she yelled, as the two stood in their bedroom, one that hadn’t felt like theirs in months. “i feel like i’m the only one who’s doing all the work all the time because you’re never home!”

“you loved me way more at 23 than you do now eddie, and that's a fact.”she told him as she brushed past him to pack a bag, “i cannot keep doing this anymore.”

“you’re just like your parents. giving up way too easy on our marriage.” eddie swore, and y/n felt something snap inside of her. “first off, don’t you dare talk about my parents! secondly, i have tried for months to get through to you.”

“you’re the one who never came to nashville when i called you begging to hop on that flight, one i paid for by the way!”y/n exclaimed, zipping up the bag she had packed, “i knew you had the week off and didn’t have chris at all and you still refused to come.”

“i’m done trying eddie.”she finished, before storming past him and walking towards the front door of their penthouse.

“so you’re done?”he questioned as she grabbed her car keys, and opened up the front door, staring right back at him with tears in her e/c eyes.

“this is when it’s over for me.”

[jakeperalta]

favourite 2023 releases → ROLLING UP THE WELCOME MAT by kelsea ballerini

it’s 7a.m. and I’m on a mountain with a view, I’m the only one alone at a table meant for two...

[wildfloweronwheels]

Sorry but I just think it's really brave and cute that Kelsea went from rolling up the welcome mat to "But if you want that welcome mat, then roll it out with me"🥹 (good job chase)

[lightscamerabitchsmileee]

Vote for your fave, reblog & share your thoughts and other faves (even outside this list) in the tags I would love to hear it 😊😊

Thank you and have fun and also check out my masterpost for the other artist and band polls 😊😊

[goldenmusicmoments]

Let's Take A Deep Dive Into Patterns By Kelsea Ballerini:

Kelsea Ballerini releases her fifth studio album Patterns sooner than expected. In 2022 she had dropped her fourth studio album Subject To Change and then last year her career defining extended play Rolling Up The Welcome Mat. So when she started teasing new music everyone was surprised, however excited to see what this new chapter would hold. She started the new era with the release of ‘Cowboys Cry Too’ featuring Noah Kahan. Prior to its release the two had performed together at the Country Music Awards and after that people were hoping for the two to collaborate. Three more song releases preceded the album and each received a visual to accompany them. You could tell that she was on route to deliver a cohesive body of work and aesthetic for the record. After hearing the album she does exactly that. Now we’ll let Kelsea take us through these patterns. 

Patterns - This title track kicks things off and sets the tone for the rest of the record. The instrumentation comes in slowly and mainly it seems to be guitar led. The verses are tender in production as she opens up about some of the patterns she has. Then the track lifts for the chorus, then back down again for the second verses. After which the lift in production continues on for the bridge. The bridge hosts a feeling of intensity which is due to both her restless vocal delivery and the repetition of the lyrics. She questions life’s progression and whether things well ever change. The track then calms for the outro as it comes to an end with her wondering whether she’ll ever outgrow some of these patterns. The song makes you feel as though you are on a journey as she acknowledges that she’s not linear in tendencies. A promising start that gets you intrigued for the road ahead.

Sorry Mom - This mellow track that was the second preceding release is her speaking to her mother. She’s not afraid to admit moments where she felt she may have fell short and potentially disappointed her mother. There is a slight lift in the production for the chorus where we see her switch from a laid back vocal delivery to a more lifted one. In the chorus she lets it be known that she turned out just fine and got out of life what she wanted. She acknowledges that her and her mother are different on the surface, but underneath they share same blood. She understands that the tough love she received at times was needed to help her become the woman that her mother would be proud of. It’s a beautiful depiction of her relationship with her mother. This song is one that people will find resonance with and one that you find yourself immersed in. 

Baggage - Here things get going with a deceptive guitar that makes you think she’s keeping it on par with the pace set so far. However once the vocal kicks in Kelsea really picks it up on this high energy track as the production takes a more lively direction. The chorus is infectious and you’ll find yourself singing along to it immediately. Here she’s being honest with the person of interest, as she tells them she has baggage however she’s still moving in. Its her simply saying that if you want me then you’ll have to accept all that comes with me. She sneaks in a reference to Rolling Up The Welcome Mat which catches you off guard. This one will be one that will be great to experience live as the crowd will surely be screaming the hook alongside Kelsea. 

First Rodeo - This is the fourth track she released prior to the album. This one is dreamy with a contemplative nature to it. The verses have this moody touch to them particularly due to her vocal delivery. Then the chorus feels brighter, the delivery of the first lyric of the chorus throws you off due to how it comes in. However it works surprisingly well. She starts at the demise of her marriage and how the two handled things afterwards. She’s fair in the first verse as she doesn’t pin it all on him, acknowledging that they both were coming at each other. Looking back it feels embarrassing. However as the track progresses you realise that it is about her finding love again and navigating this new relationship. Even though this isn’t her first rodeo, she’s still figuring things out. So she wants to take things slow and she’s appreciating each moment so far. The bridge deals with the uncertainty of not knowing what tomorrow brings, but still putting yourself out there for the experience. As without trying you’ll never know. The outro is magical with how the vocals are layered. Here you feel her take you along this process of rediscovering love, wanting to pursue it, but at a pace that allows her to feel safe. You feel captivated by this track that gives you hope for the future.

Nothing Really Matters - She picks up the pace again on this one, however even then it feels mellow. As the verses have a more upbeat production, however for the hook she brings the pace down. It’s her singing about how she can get in her own head at times and how that can be rather toxic. However for the chorus she comes to realise that none of those negative thoughts that may creep up or the worries you may have at times matter in the end. It’s a light hearted reminder to not be so tough on yourself and live more in the present. It carries the hopeful feeling from the previous track and will definitely resonate with you.

How Much Do You Love Me - We move onto this gentle piano led track about her wanting to know how much the person of interest cares about her. She’s aware that things can go south and not work out. So she is in pursuit of assurance that no matter what happens, would he still put up a fight to be with her. Her eagerness for assurance is understandable as in her past relationship she felt that her ex-partner didn’t put up much of a fight to hold their marriage together. The guitar finds its way for the chorus. Then fades away for the second verse to allow the piano to return, however we get the addition of some percussion. The way the final chorus comes in gives the song a dramatic touch. It then comes to an end with a stripped back repetition of ‘How much do you love me’. This dreamy song has a similar essence in terms of feel to that of her song ‘Universe’ from her last album.

Two Things - This was the third song released preceding the full record. It’s a bright moment that focuses on how inconsistent things can be at times. Particularly when it comes to feelings and moods. One minute you love the person and the next you hate them. As she says two things can be true. The bridge puts things into prospective, how life could be easier if things were just black or white, however they aren’t. The guitar takes on the main role here with more instrumentation sparsely threaded throughout. There is a build for the chorus which fills the space around you making you feel encapsulated by it. The song closes out with these airy vocalisations that leave things on a dreamy note.

We Broke Up - On this upbeat and fierce moment Kelsea’s not got the desire to dwell on a relationship that ended. She doesn’t want to look over how it happened or what went down, they broke up and she wants to leave it at that now and move on. The hook embeds itself in your memory and you’ll be singing along to it from the get go. The production is slick on both the track and her vocal. The positive look on letting go of things that are no longer is refreshing. This is another one that will be a fun track to experience live as it could provide for an interactive moment with the crowd.

Wait! - She’s keeping the pace at a high as we get to this chaotic track where she seems a little confused as to what she truly wants. It seems like she’s deluding herself into believing that she could make it on her own, only to then realise once the person of interest is about to leave that she wants them to stay. This one is one of the most exhilarating moments on the record and it hooks you in as soon as it begins. It feels conversational in a way during the verses in particular. You’ll find yourself fully immersed in it and is one of the highlights on the record. Also it could make for a great single choice. 

Beg For Your Love - Now we come to a stripped back guitar led moment that feels vulnerable from the get go. On this heartfelt track she is basically letting it be known that she isn’t going to beg for his love, however if he wants to pursue her then she’ll face it rather than running from it. She assures him that she is in it for the long run and is willing to put up a fight to make things work. However she isn’t willing to do anything that may compromise the work she’s done to rediscover herself. Which in a way feels like its her staying true to the sentiment she put forth on ‘Leave Me Again’. A beautiful song on the record that feels intimate due to its acoustic nature.

Deep - Kelsea decides to take things in a more spicier direction as she sings about the feelings elicited during moments of intimacy between her and the person of interest. The layered vocals and harmonies give this song a smooth and dreamy feel that you feel embraced by. Her vocal delivery during the verses has this sultry edge to it and then though it still keeps that sultry feel it is a little brighter. Her not being so in your face with what she is expressing lyrically here makes this not feel vulgar and instead is a beautiful moment that you find yourself lost in.

Cowboys Cry Too (with Noah Kahan) - This stunning collaboration served as the lead single. This song tackles the entirety of how vulnerability in men is often perceived, putting forth that it is beautiful to see a man be open with his emotions rather than holding them in. As for a long time men have been told that a part of masculinity consists of being void of emotion, which is far from actuality. Noah Kahan makes for the perfect choice here as he in his own music is very raw and open about his emotions, and their vocals work really well together. She’s really keeping that feeling of being on a journey threaded throughout the album. By the end of it you may feel as though you are lost in your own thoughts.

I Would, Would You - She picks it back up on this fun track in which she lets it be known that she’d do anything for the other person, whilst also asking whether they’d reciprocate. She wrote it to express her love and appreciation for her friends. This guitar driven track gives you this feel of sitting in a circle surrounded by friends and you are all jamming together. It’ll have you vibing to its blissful nature and have you smiling along to the lyrical content. Its got a catchy hook that demands you sing along and the bridge emphasis that as you get more voices join Kelsea’s. Then she slows it down for a brief moment as we get into the final chorus, after which she lifts it back up to close things out.

This Time Last Year - This final full length track calms things down a little, though the chorus sees a lift in production. The song feels contemplative as she looks back at where she was last year and how things have changed since. A year later and now she’s in a better place as she proudly sings “look at me now”. The production is beautiful as it compliments the feelings the lyrics elicit. Its a powerful moment of building yourself back up after a rough patch that at the time seemed impossible to come out of. Its uplifting nature will move you as a listener and find that the message connects with you as well. The perfect note to end on as it really feels like you’ve finally reached the end of this winding road. 

Did You Make It Home (Outro) - This short guitar led outro closes out the album, now it could be that she is asking herself the question or she is posing it to the listener. Asking that was the choice or the direction they took worth it in the end, that did it take them were they were hoping to go. Using home as more of a metaphorical representation of the end point. 

With that we come to the end of this stunning body of work that executes the concept she hoped to delivery so well. It feels like you are being taken on this journey through different patterns she experiences or has. It is personal and honest, as she doesn’t hide or sugar coat anything. It is cohesive both sonically and thematically. Though there is variation in pace which provides the record with more of a dynamic, it doesn’t however make anything feel out of place. Kelsea’s growth has been outstanding as an artist in particular and her openness in comparison to her releases prior to Rolling Up The Welcome Matt has taken her to a new level. Which in turn has drawn more people to her, helping them find a stronger connection with the music she releases. This is her best body of work and is one that deserves to be heard. Hopefully this record earns her a few grammy nominations next year.

[threeinchesofheaven]

Interlude - Kelsea Ballerini

[takingontheworldtogether]

the archer, taylor swift // interlude, kelsea ballerini

[musicforlyrics]

[daisypoet77]

When Kelsea Ballerini said “I’m blowing up my life but I’m standing by the crater” I’ve never felt the self-destructive, control-freak tendencies inside me screaming more in laughter of finally being acknowledged!

Just thought I’d leave this here. I know I’m not the only one.

[humblequestvinyl]

rolling up the welcome mat

"and it stings, rolling up the welcome mat, knowing you got half."

six chapters, one writing series. my new writing series; rolling up the welcome mat, out now.

chapter one: mountain with a view - after one too many late nights, y/n l/n is sitting at their kitchen table, debating if her and her husband's marriage is even worth fighting for.

chapter two: just married - after leaving LA, y/n flies to nashville, reflecting on her marriage with eddie, staring at the pictures of the two on their wedding day, wondering how they went from love, to just married.

chapter three: penthouse - y/n’s packing up the penthouse with eddie, reminiscing on the times they had together, both good and bad.

chapter four: interlude - three weeks after the divorce, news hits the entire world about intimate details about the divorce, and y/n isn’t happy about it.

chapter five: blindsided - entering back into the city that holds the most memories, y/n plays a song for her best friend, holding all the secretes of her former marriage.

chapter six: leave me again - on february 14th, with all the love in the air, y/n’s new ep; rolling up the welcome mat is released, and eddie finally hears everything she tried to say.

[petals2fish]

COME ON KELSEA

[renegadestrash]

KELSEA AND TAYLOR DANCING TO FLOWERS BY MIKEY CYRUS TOGETHER OH MY GOD IN GONNA CRY THOSE ARE MY GIRLIEESSSSS

[sandywhiteclaws]

You collected bones, but I buried the bodies

[goldenmusicmoments]

A Look Into 'Rolling Up The Welcome Mat' By Kelsea Ballerini:

Kelsea Ballerini last year announced that her and Morgan Evans were going their separate ways. They’d been married for nearly five years. Though in the announcement they didn’t make much of the details public. Morgan however after the announcement made it clear he didn’t want the divorce. To which Kelsea didn’t respond. Morgan soon after performed a new song titled ‘Over For You’ live and it generated some buzz. Which then prompted him to officially release it as a single. On the track he poses questions in regards to when she felt it was over for her and that how long had this been on her mind. He even goes as far as to ask whether there was someone else. Whilst presenting it with vulnerability and it seems to have resonated with an audience. The publicity around their marriage falling apart, aided in the song performing decently and garnering him a lot more attention than he’d received before.

Kelsea on the other hand had just started the run of her fourth studio album ‘Subject To Change’ and thus it was too late for her to decide to go back into the studio and rework the body of work. So that it could resonate with where she was at now. She released the album and has continued to promote it and she still is in its cycle. Her and her label have just pushed ‘If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)’ to radio as the next single and just shot a music video for it as well. So she isn’t giving up on the album just yet, which is great as it has so much left in it. There are quite a few more single options that she should consider before bringing that era to a close.

She surprise announced the day before Valentine’s Day that she was releasing an extended play and a short film to accompany it. The track titles and the teaser were enough to let us know she was going to finally address what many had been anticipating. She was ready to tell her side of the story. The short film she wrote and directed herself. It’s simple, but cleverly done and provides a perfect accompaniment to the music. Really allowing for the lyrics to remain the focal point. The imagery and moments provide for a lot to break down and interpret.

Now lets dive into the music itself. The EP starts of with the track ‘Mountain With A View’, where she seems to get straight to the point of addressing the point at which she felt the marriage was over. She looks over the marriage and feels that the love that was there at the start of their relationship eventually fizzled out, as she feels that he loved her more at twenty-three. She touches on their careers getting in the way of them having time together, and him not showing up in moments she needed him to be there for her. However she doesn’t present it as one sided, she acknowledges that she’s made mistakes and paid for them. It seems like letting go was the only option for her at this point and that it allowed her to set herself free from something that seemed to be holding her down. Her saying ‘Scream, I’m just like my parents and giving up easy’, is what she thinks he’d have said due to her parents being divorced. It also points to how her parents separation had an impact on her and her marriage. She holds back on the production, keeping the lyrics the focal point. Her vocal delivery gives the track a feel of contemplation and you feel how emotionally drained she is from the situation. She revisits the opening line bringing the track to a close on a full circle moment.

‘Just Married’ follows, led by a gentle guitar with her vocal at the forefront. The background vocals during the chorus and the way she closes the track give it a dreamy feel. That feel is very representative of what you envision a wedding day to feel like, as she touches upon her wedding day here. Lyrically she sings about the relationship consisting of love initially, however once they got married that seemed to have changed. Her use of ‘Just’ is very clever her as the way she presents it, also gives it a negative connotation. The song also showcases how great of a songwriter she is. She highlights that she may have been too young then to fully understand what she wanted and whether she was actually ready for marriage. She also puts forth that he seems to have had the typical expectations of her in the marriage. Though her doing the dishes plays out in its literal form, it can also be seen to have a metaphorical value. It seems that the pressure got too much for her and she reached breaking point. She seems to feel guilty and remorseful for ending the marriage. Which is put forward in the lyric ‘And dammit, I wish I wasn’t this ready, to undo I do.’. 

We then move on to the piano driven track ‘Penthouse’ and it opens on a dreamy vocal moment. She then gets straight to it. This tale of playing house, they seem to have been playing the part of their roles. Nothing more, it doesn’t seem to have held the sentiment it was supposed to. Her saying ‘I guess wrong can look alright, when you’re playing home in a penthouse baby,’ is interesting. Pointing to how certain things can mask the reality of what is actually going on. She tried to make changes in hopes that it would lead to things getting better, like buying a house that had space for when they would be ready to start a family. However even that wasn’t enough. When the two do part ways she ends up having to give him half the value of the house she bought. Her saying that the moment stung indicates that it was a consequence of her filing for divorce, and that it felt as though she is being punished for the decision she had to make. She then takes you to where she is at now, that she is moving on as she sings ‘I kissed someone new last night’, however even then she finds herself still thinking about him. The track closes on her saying she bought the house they saw together, that he didn’t like, but she wanted it all along. Hinting at him overpowering her in the relationship, that she had to often put her desires aside for him. Now that they separated she feels as though she is free and able to finally do things her way.

A short interlude follows and Kelsea packs a lot in forty-six seconds. There is a drastic shift in sound from the previous tracks as it takes on a more pop heavy production. She addresses what took her this long to finally tell her side of the story and that what is being thrown about in the media doesn’t capture the actuality of the situation. Posing the question ‘So, which side are you gonna take now?’, highlights how a marriage dissolving to some looks like a game, that you have to pick sides. She is aware that by her choosing to end the marriage she has made a decision that has had quite the impact on her life, however she stands by it.

Continuing with the pop production ‘Blindsided’ puts forth the question as to whether he actually was blindside or was he just blind. As she states there were obvious signs such us them going through couples therapy to indicate that there was something wrong. Especially since he in ‘Over For You’ plays it out as though he never saw the end coming. It seems as though he choose to ignore it all, as it was easy for him to do so. Her vocal delivery of the lyrics gives the song a conversational feel as though she is directly talking to him. The bridge features a specific moment, where she brings the production to a hold. It showcases her having to put on a front for the media, when she actually wanted to break down and cry. For the closing chorus she uses a sample of someone saying ‘It’s not news to you, babe, You’ve been in this relationship, it’s not news to you’, which enhances the feeling of frustration she had with him not paying attention to what he should have. 

‘Leave Me Again’ brings the EP to a close and it is an acoustic guitar moment making it feel detached from the rest of the tracks. Here she is wishing him all the best and hoping that he eventually finds what he has always wanted. She hopes he is living life doing the things he loves. For herself all that she hopes is that she never again loses track of herself, that she always remembers to love herself. As she in the marriage found that she had lost a part of herself, now she is rediscovering it and makes an oath to not lose it again. Which is a beautiful note to leave things on.

The extended play is a great effort from Kelsea and showcases how great of a songwriter in particular she is. It really feels like a career defining moment for her, as it has been well received so far by both critics and the general public. Initially she intended to dropped it and then leave it be. However due to such a strong reception, she ended up adding the songs to her tour setlist and even went on to SNL to perform ‘Penthouse’ and ‘Blindsided’.