Anaïs & The Hoops' debut EP closes with "Growing Pains," a glistening indie-pop ballad that could easily be spun as much as a diary entry as it is a song. Tender yet firm, "Growing Pains" breaks under the weight of memories, friendship, and self-discovery, serving as a powerful closing statement for an artist who has never been afraid to put her heart on her sleeve.
If anything, "Growing Pains" is at heart a love letter to Anaïs' best friend, but it can also be read as a meditation on her own youth in California. The track is one of bittersweet yearning, a mix of soft lyricism and wistful determination that captures that in-between stage of wanting to hold on to the past, but also now ready to face the uncertainties of the grown-up world. It's that paradoxical push and pull wanting to expand while dreading letting go that makes the song so powerful.
Throughout "Growing Pains," Anaïs delves into the concept of identity, memories, and the always-evolving journey of self-discovery. "Growing Pains" slips neatly into the Adult Contemporary and Singer-Songwriter lane, but not without the shimmering textures of indie pop. It's painstakingly put together and distinctly personal, the kind of song that feels as though it could work over the closing credits of a coming-of-age movie. Its personal nature is only amplified by the group effort that elevates the spare piano of Anaïs and one of her New York bandmates, producer Ben Coleman, meaning the track has both polish and heart.
The conclusion seems fitting, and open-ended at the same time, as if you're shutting one journal to open another. In deploying the new song, "Growing Pains," Anaïs & The Hoops not only celebrate where she has been but also where she is heading. It's a song for anyone who has ever looked back with longing, yet still leaned forward into the unknown. Anaïs might refer to it as growing pains, but for you, it sounds more like growing beautifully.
Discover Anaïs & The Hoops on Instagram