Room Service, the new EP from Chapel released April 23rd, places heartbreak and the aftermath of a relationship in an upbeat, pop style. The EP consists of four songs: “Pillow Talk”, “Miss The Days”, “WOW”, and “First Love”. All the songs keep the same basic elements — like a steady but not overpowering beat and multiple vocals — to create a consistent sound throughout the collection. However, each of the four songs covers different aspects of moving on after breaking up. The EP draws on regret, longing, spite, nostalgia, and finally lands on acceptance.
The first song, “Pillow Talk”, sticks to a simple bass line and drum beat in the background. While the melancholy lyrics lament how the relationship turned out, the tune stays upbeat, introducing the general feeling running through the EP.
Next on the route to acceptance comes the second song, “Miss The Days”, which takes a notably more depressed turn. The first verse begins with simply a piano accompaniment before jumping into an equally slow yet more intense chorus. The chorus is a repeated longing for the days of the relationship, and keeps the intensity through the end so as to transition to the next song.
The penultimate song, “WOW”, was the last single released before the EP. The lyrics to this one are a little more disengaged, a little more spiteful than the previous two. “WOW” taps into a more typically pop sound, relying more on drums in the chorus and a bigger emphasis on the beat. This song details the conflict of anger at how everything turned out yet a desire for it to have worked out.
Still, after the vigor of “WOW” has to come the final stage — acceptance — and with it the final song, “First Love”. The song stays in an upbeat major key the entire time, even though it talks about the loss of a first love after a breakup. The contrast adds a sweetly nostalgic feel to the song, like embracing sadness while knowing it will pass.
Listening to the EP from beginning to end felt like lying on a hotel bed on a quiet night, just reminiscing, regretting, and ruminating a freshly failed relationship. All the songs were consistent enough to blend into each other, but portrayed different aspects of a breakup, highlighting them through different energy and intensity levels, or through its production. While overall Chapel brings us a melancholy EP, its loyalty to the pop genre makes the entire listening experience bittersweet in the best way possible.
