Mystee's debut "forget me not" EP, Mystee, emerging from the indie underground, delivers a piece of work that’s less an introduction than it is a reflection of countless years of life condensed into melody. At its heart, the project is led by songwriter Ilana Held, who has spent the past seven years compiling stories of first loves, heartbreaks, betrayals, the subtle victories in self-discovery, and wrapping them in a body of work that is both intimate and wildly striking.
It kicks off with an investigation into unrequited yearning. It encapsulates that singular ache of wanting someone you can’t have, walking a line between sweetness and a serrated edge that cuts long after the last note. From the moment the first track plays, it’s evident that Mystee isn’t here to shy away from sitting with discomfort, for letting honesty bloom in the open.
The emotional arc blooms most fully on the EP’s rapper title track, “forget me not.” A huge love song rooted in warmth and gratitude, it turns the perspective from pain to the sweetness of the connection of just having someone else to hold. It’s a reminder that in the chaos of youth and heartbreak, there is a comfort in real, gritty presence. The song billows with striking emotion, a proper centerpiece around which the EP takes its name and its core.
The really impressive thing about "forget me not" is how it weaves the purity of what happens when you’re so young with experience and wisdom, you only clearly inhabit the older you get. Each track feels like a snapshot of fragments of Held’s evolution as an artist and a person sewn into a patchwork. These songs are universal, they have something to say to anyone who has ever found him or herself stumbling to clarity while dealing with love and loss.
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