Album Review: K Flay - 'Inside Voices'

Inside Voices is the punchy new EP from genre-bending alt hip hop artist K Flay (Kristine Flaherty).

"I got six people inside my mind" reveals Flaherty in the first verse of Good Girl, over driving electric guitar. The record is a cathartic outpouring of these voices, the inner thoughts the Grammy-nominated artist usually tries to censor or ignore.

Sonically, this release falls somewhere between K Flay's dark and gritty Everywhere Is Somewhere, and the lighter, bubblier Solutions, combining heavily distorted guitars and aggressive lyrics with catchy hooks and pop shine. 

Flaherty collaborated with some big names on the record; she combined with Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds in writing Good Girl, blink-182 drummer Travis Barker makes an appearance on the playful Dating My Dad and guitarist Tom Morello features on explosive TGIF, alongside a lyrical nod to his best-known band, “I wanna drink / I wanna fight / I wanna rage against the fucking machine”. Both growing up in the suburbs of northern Illinois, Flaherty and Morello have formed a solid friendship that makes for great musical chemistry.

K Flay's songs feature words you really listen to and not just hear. The rapper's clever lyricism is best showcased on My Name Isn't Katherine, with witty lines strung together and delivered in her completely unique style. 

Inside Voices is a well-produced, powerful, introspective record that is sure to prompt listeners to closely examine their own innermost thoughts.