When I think of music I like, I want songs that I can turn up, that I can roll down the windows to and hum to—but also study to on a late night. mxmtoon’s latest EP dawn encompasses that desire perfectly. The EP had 7 songs, three of which were singles, and is short but sweet. The songs are calming and catchy, and give off perfect summertime vibes. Throughout the EP, it’s like you can hear her smiling, which is hard to describe unless you listen yourself.

My favorite songs on the EP were “fever dream,” which was originally released as a single, and “no faker.” I liked “fever dream” because it was much more upbeat than the rest of the songs and was much easier to dance to, while the others didn’t have as much of a dancing beat. “no faker” is such a cute song, especially since mxmtoon revives the ukulele sound from her first album in it. I love that mxmtoon is experimenting with new sounds, but the ukulele is still part of her branding and I loved this song because it was classic mxmtoon.

Speaking of classic mxmtoon, I appreciated that she stuck with the consistent lowercase titles as the rest of her music. Her sound and style definitely distinguishes mxmtoon from other artists, but the consistent style of the titles keeps her individualism and makes her music more recognizable, which I definitely like.

As for the other songs, I liked them, but they didn’t stand out to me. What did stand out to me was the use of different sounds in this EP. “used to you” has a vibe similar to that of a modern Christmas carol with a bell-like sound, and throughout the album there’s much more harmonies and background singing than in her previous work. I liked this because it showed mxmtoon’s range and her creativity to produce solo songs that didn’t feel like it was solely her singing.

Another thing I want to touch on is the final track of the EP, “almost home.” This wasn’t my favorite song only because there were others I liked better, but I want to give some spotlight to this one. mxmtoon made a great decision putting it last on the EP, because this is the type of song that fits perfectly last. The song describes mxmtoon on her way home, but seems to have a deeper meaning, especially with the repetition of the lyric “just close your eyes.” Maybe she’s reflecting on a figurative drive in the process of growing up, where home and “just close your eyes” represent the comfort and the importance of home to her, no matter where she goes in life.

I loved the rhythm in this EP because it was so calming. I can picture myself putting this on in the background while I study or on a late-night drive. Even though the majority of the songs are slower in comparison to her previous album, mxmtoon finds a way to keep to interesting with a beat that’s easy to sing along to. Although I felt like a good amount of lyrics in most of the songs were repetitive, the beat definitely completes the songs and fits each one perfectly.

I wouldn’t consider dawn to be astonishing or ground-breaking, but I still love it just because of the warmth and soothing feeling it gives off. mxmtoon reminds listeners that music doesn’t always have to be loud or fast to be loved and fun, which is another reason why i’ll definitely be listening to this EP on repeat for a while.