Ellie Heath releases first EP, ‘SHINE’

Ellie Heath released her first EP, SHINE, on June 20, stepping into the light and showing listeners the different sides of love. The album moves from the sweet release of an ex you’re “Better Off” without, to “Enjoying the Ride” with someone.

Heath, who’s based in Edmonton, made her musical debut in 2022 with her single “High Wire.” In addition to music, Heath has performed onstage since 1997 and has worked in the film and voice industry for nearly two decades. Since her musical debut, Heath has released singles such as “Float Away,” which won an award for Best Music Video at the 2023 Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) awards. With SHINE, Heath focuses on depicting love She explains that the album is “full of songs about falling in love, falling out of love, and finding self-love.” 

The first track “Better Off” is currently her most popular song on Spotify with over 3,000 streams. The song starts the album off with an undeniable energy that compliments her strong and unique vocals, accompanied by pleasing synth. In “Better Off,” Heath sings to an ex she is “better off without” and asserts her understanding of the situation. She declares that “I have been here before and I didn’t like the view.” The focused lyrics make it the perfect post-breakup clarity song. The repetition of the line “better off” throughout the song works to its advantage. It is reminiscent of how sometimes we need to tell ourselves something over and over until it finally hits. 

The next track, “Shine,” is a cool summer song thanks to its mellow rhythm and relaxed mood. The simple lyricism such as “I don’t need to make you stay / I don’t need to sit around and wait,” makes the song easy to listen to. This track is about empowerment and recognizing one’s potential in light of someone who is self-centred. Additionally, this track made me notice a particular quality of Heath’s vocals. They have a very organic sound that is heightened by the accompanying guitar. The calmer sound of the song was a nice break from the more upbeat energy of “Better Off.”

However, I noticed an underlying pattern among the next three songs. The tracks “High Level,” “New Eyes,” and “Enjoying the Ride,” despite minor differences in sound, don’t quite standout from one another significantly. The instrumentation largely does not vary and the backing music doesn’t take any steps beyond what “Shine” sounds like. Each song has a slower, more relaxed sound. It was hard to ignore that the structure of these songs were so similar that they began to feel predictable. For example, while admittedly common in music, the title of every track on the EP was the chorus’ main line and repeated throughout the song. Because of this theme, and the similar instrumentation, the EP has a repetitive feel to it.

But something changes with the final track “What I Need.” The more somber piano drew me in first. Then following the first chorus, the song only grew in strength as it carried an emotional momentum that kept building through the crescendoing instrumentation. This reflection on self-understanding was a strong finish to the EP due to its differentiation from the other songs and deeper emotion. 

Overall, SHINE from Heath offers light summer vibes for easy listening. The EP started with an upbeat energy that relaxed into mellower, yet repetitive, tracks before finishing emotionally and musically strong. Not only that, but Heath’s vocals were consistently powerful and held my attention throughout as lyricism remained simple and clear. The EP is perfect to listen to as the wind rushes through your hair on a warm night, or in the background of a chill hangout with friends. While a few songs felt predictable with their repetitiveness, the EP is a focused blend of the different sides of love.