A debut release is always a major event for a musician, as this is when an absolutely incredible adventure begins. Open stages, new faces, first reviews—this entire whirlwind descends upon the artist immediately after the music goes out into the world. Elizabeth Anne meets this moment with the EP To Be Happy, where the strength and energy of debut material is contained within six tracks. A first release is a calling card, that very moment when all forces, energy, and inspiration are directed into one collection.

Elizabeth Anne demonstrates her range and scope as an artist, making her music a part of any listener’s playlist. The six songs are built on the principle of contrast: loudness gives way to silence, electricity yields to acoustics, energy flows into meditativeness.

photo by Jacqueline Olivia

This approach to a debut is both ambitious and risky at once. Ambitious because it requires mastery of different stylistic registers at a sufficiently high level. Risky because it blurs the artist’s identity at the very moment when it has yet to be formed. A listener drawn in by the alt-rock energy of the opening track might find themselves puzzled by the acoustic minimalism of the next. A fan of intimate acoustics risks getting lost in the dream-pop textures of the release’s middle section. The question is whether the individual tracks are strong enough to hold attention through all these stylistic turns.

The EP begins with the track “Green“—an energetic pop-rock song with light punk roots. Elizabeth Anne’s vocals are bright, constantly striving to break forward, which happens in the chorus when the melody intensifies and all the energy of rock electrifies the air around it. A very correct choice for opening material.

But Elizabeth Anne didn’t plan to follow this emphasized mood. In the next track “Maybe I Should Call,” the melody becomes acoustic and minimalist. A light melody flows in soft percussion, while cozy lyrics paint images in the consciousness that bring peace. A sharp turn that works as intrigue. In “I’m Awake,” she creates a tender folk-acoustic sound where Hawaiian guitar forms an atmosphere of warmth and understanding. You know, “I’m Awake” is a track needed on cool days when it seems there’s no warmth left.

In the track “Marionette,” Elizabeth Anne found the golden mean between her lyrical sound and soft pop vocals. This balance between powerful rock sound and vocal softness—there’s something calming in it, while allowing inner demons to break free. Perhaps the strongest moment on the release precisely because here all the contradicting elements of the EP finally find common ground. “Sunshine Pills” balances the previous burst of adrenaline and energy—one of the most commercial tracks on the release. Elizabeth Anne’s voice is filled with hooks, and the deep timbre drowns in a smoky dream-pop atmosphere. Ambient inserts emphasize the dreamy atmosphere, the production is detailed and sophisticated.

The final sixth track, central to the EP, is the emotional center of the release. A slowly unfolding song through airy guitars, Elizabeth Anne’s commercial voice, and a slow introduction of rock motifs. The duration is 5 minutes 52 seconds, the longest material on the release, which amazingly forms an entire universe around itself. You can surrender to the lulling feeling and experience a light hypnosis from the cozy melody. The song demands patience—almost six minutes of meditative immersion where intensity builds gradually, in layers, holding attention through dynamics.

photo by Jacqueline Olivia

The EP To Be Happy is a promising release filled with genres and styles that sounds both like a hurricane and a sweet kiss before sleep. What will Elizabeth Anne prepare next? What genre? What style? It’s impossible to predict, and therein lies her strength and artistic style. Absolutely incredible.

In this case, a debut as a portfolio undoubtedly works. Alt-rock neighbors acoustic minimalism, folk interweaves with dream-pop, short energetic tracks give way to extended meditative journeys. Diversity here plays a double role. The record intrigues and holds attention—it’s never clear in advance where the next song will turn. Elizabeth Anne manifests most strongly where the contradictions of the release find balance.

The remaining tracks fulfill their functions with varying degrees of conviction. “Green” is effective as an opening statement—it captures with energy and drive. “Maybe I Should Call” and “I’m Awake” provide necessary respite, switching the register to intimacy and acoustics. “Sunshine Pills” adds commercial appeal, offering melodic accessibility without losing interesting production. Each song performs its task, but the connections between them remain minimal. The release reads more as a sequence of separate statements than as a unified work.

Technically, Elizabeth Anne handles the material confidently. The vocals change from track to track, adapting to the mood and genre: assertive and bright in rock moments, intimate and trusting in acoustic songs, enveloping and textural in dream-pop moments.

The question that To Be Happy leaves concerns direction. Where will Elizabeth Anne move next—will she delve deeper into one of the stylistics shown here or continue exploring different sonic territories? The first path would allow her to build recognition, form a clear identity, find her audience. The second would preserve creative freedom and unpredictability but risks leaving the listener bewildered. Both options have their logic and their risks.

For now, this debut EP functions as a document of a moment—a moment when the artist tries everything at once, testing what works better, where the voice sounds more convincing, what material elicits greater response. The result is uneven, at times excessively diverse, at times losing focus in an attempt to show too much at once. But interesting enough in its strong moments to remember the name Elizabeth Anne and wait to see what she does with this experience next. Because To Be Happy fulfills the main task of a debut release—it announces the artist’s existence, shows the range of possibilities, poses questions instead of giving final answers. An excellent release, and the next step will show whether these questions were asked for the sake of searching or for the sake of demonstration. For now, all that remains is to wait for the answer while putting To Be Happy on repeat.

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