In 2023, me and my wife decided the best wedding for us would be hosting a festival in a farmer’s field. We had already found a musician, who had agreed to fly out from America for a big fee and play for us. But after some back and forth, we realised that the perfect artist was somebody we had watched dozens of times before. Somebody who had been honing their craft all over our area at pubs and outdoor events for years. Our great friend, Nicole Allan. Today is the release of her EP ‘Goodbye Girl’, and with so much emotional connection to her music already, I cannot wait to share my thoughts with you all.
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Nicole Allan jumping during concert acoustic guitar

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For years, Nicole Allan has been a musician led by powerful vocals, playing a mix of predominantly recognizable covers and the odd original song thrown in. At my aforementioned wedding, she finished her set to applause; but I was disappointed. She had (very sensibly at a function gig) skipped playing her then-recently released single. I begged for an encore, and it was a key moment for myself, dancing to her music with my wife and son. Goodbye Girl EP puts
her incredible voice to work straight away with the first song “Find Me”, a powerful country ballad, where despite incredible musicianship by every instrument, Nicole maintains total dominance of the track throughout. The track dynamically builds and absolutely NOTHING in this track would indicate an up-and-coming artist is at the helm. This track is stadium worthy. At this point in listening to the EP, I fist pump the air, encouraging the music to continue at the same level, so I can continue a positive analysis of a dear friend’s album.

Nicole Allan Powerful vocals acoustic guitar live concert

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Light Should Stay starts to play, and a guitar timidly-- but with absolute self-assurance-- introduces the track. This rest of the production slowly joins layer by layer, and it very quickly feels like a top-shelf country song you’d expect Shania Twain or Carrie Underwood to release. The tension of the additional guitars in the bridge pulls you forward, and after a subtle drum fill you’re into, yet again, another stadium-worthy country anthem. It’s absolutely commercial Country Pop yet it’s still written with a level of complexity and harmonic build that keeps it engaging throughout. There’s talent and power throughout the song, all anchored by Nicole’s vocals. The final third teased a key change, but it was a change ball. Two more lines of vocals before the instruments stapped and filled into the actual key change. Every moment of the song feels perfectly crafted and intentional. I anticipated I had placed unfair expectations on Nicole Allan’s release, yet this album went above and beyond what I thought was possible from an indie country artist. 2-0 Nicole. I hope she can close it out.

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Nicole Allan Country Artist black and white headshot

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Musically intricate and unexpected, the chord progression for our third track Like Nobody Else is fascinating. It keeps the strong country pop theme, with again perfect execution, but at the midpoint of the EP you’re met with different and tension-building chords, as well as a chorus starting with the verses last chord – a rare and bold decision, however perfectly suited for the song. Nicole Allan demonstrates her ability to write her own sound. There’s no questioning any rules of music or whether there should be better definition between the two sections, instead she is doing what is best for the EP, the song – and more importantly for the moment. I think due to the strength of the other three tracks on this record this song is probably the closest to a weaker link, but even that is unfair. This is an EP with punch on every single track, and I lean towards this being my favourite musically.

The homestretch – the fourth and final song – Madness of Money. It starts how I have heard Nicole perform so many times before. A chord progression palm-muted on an acoustic guitar. Whether or not it was intentional, the opening of this track feels like a nod to Nicole’s raw talent and the creative origin of these tracks. Puzzlemaker Studios, the producers of this album, then quickly build it back to where the other tracks have been, but like any masterful creation it doesn’t shy away from sitting back and letting the instruments (and Nicole’s vocals) have a bit of space. There’s a brilliant flow of dynamic variation, keeping every track interesting and the listener engaged. I’m not sure if it’s due to it’s responsibility of closing out this record, but Madness of Money infected my brain for days after. The chorus is catchy and just straight-up fun to sing.

Goodbye Girl EP IAAS Music Perfect Album

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Goodbye Girl as an EP goes in a small collection of records that have immediately outgrown the indie music sphere. Not due to label association or artist size, but due to the sound they’ve achieved. Indie music is often raw. It’s unpolished and imperfect. But only once in my time reviewing indie submissions have I ever heard a record so flawless. (If you’re interested in the other, you can read about it here!). The tracks belong in a stadium. Nicole Allan belongs on the mainstage. With a year already planned on expanding her touring bubble, I firmly believe this record will define her path, and that is one to bigger and better things. Goodbye Girl EP is so good, I have revived an entire section of this website – that’s purpose was to identify ‘Perfect Albums’. I’m delighted to say this album is absolutely an IAAS Music Perfect Album. And Nicole Allan has cemented my destiny of becoming someone who can brag about having had a massive artist perform at their wedding.

I can’t wait for it!  

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