Zelma Stone - The Best (2021)

Zelma Stone, the moniker of Bay Area-based singer/songwriter Chloe Zelma Studebaker, is back with her third EP, The Best. Coming quickly on the heels of her 2020 EP, Dreamland, she describes her latest work as a look forward, set against her stirring songwriting. “I spent a lot of this year learning to trust myself and embrace new chapters,” says Studebaker. “The theme of moving forward and accepting change is very present throughout this record, and it was exciting exploring these ideas with a fuller sound and more dramatic dynamics.”

Inspired equally by classic country songwriters like Patsy Cline and indie singer/songwriters like Amen Dunes, The Best sees Studebaker crafting some of her most detailed and knotted songwriting yet. Opener “Gift Horse” sees her glide effortlessly between ethereal and snarling, all while thick reverb-drenched guitars wind beneath. Elsewhere, she traverses sparse and desolate territory with the midnight meditations of “Money Honey,” only to ascend upwards into a soaring distortion-laden climax in the track’s final moments.

Pedal steel guides the ambling country tones of “You’re Now 2,” while “Sea of Diamonds” conjures a weighty indie rock soundscape. Meanwhile, “Come Back” serves as the EP’s most outright catchy number, with an earworm chorus concealing a heartfelt plea for belonging just below the sharp hook. Finally, the EP ends on a final moment of brilliance with “The Best.” These final moments are filled with beautifully arranged synths and dextrous winding guitar passages, along with some of Studebaker’s most simply openhearted songwriting yet一“I have things to say / I have many feelings / I’d like things to go away / I’d like things to stay the same.” Those words capture much of the beauty of The Best as a whole; her multi-faceted songwriting reverberates with winsome humor and unguarded honesty, laying open her fears and embracing the contradictions in her heart.