POP STAR FOR HIRE: THE NEW IVORY LAYNE EP
Are you on the hunt for a mildly-comical, family friendly-ish one-woman show with 10+ years of experience? Look no further than the world’s newest Pop Star For Hire: Ivory Layne, the red-headed triple threat and her newest EP Part Time Jobs Near Me. Released on July 18, the 19-minute-long EP gives a fleeting, buzzing and introspective look into the music industry, love, loss and the constant anxiety of it all.
Originally from North Carolina, Layne has been creating music for well over a decade, crafting her own brilliantly unique sound and training her beautiful, honey-esque voice that fans of Marina and Fiona Apple would adore. With countless songs and features under her belt, Layne has worked with incredible artists like Jimmy Robbins, Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby throughout her career, as well as having performed on stage with Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, Andy Gramme and The Script, to name a few.
Layne lived in Nashville for many years, getting an up-close taste of a bustling music city, but made the tough choice at the end of 2024 to move back home with her family. Layne had an abundance of songs she believed in and wanted to bring to life, but hit a stopping point. How was she going to write, produce, release and market these songs all by herself while needing to work part-time jobs to pay rent?
This is when the EP’s title was born: Part Time Jobs Near Me, inspired by Layne’s desperate late-night Google searches for job listings.
“I wanna remember that Google search forever as hopefully the last time I ever have to type it,” Layne wrote in an Instagram post the night before her EP’s release.
As genius, personal and relatable the record’s title is, the six songs — all written and produced by Layne — match the vibe perfectly. “MEHTROPOLIS” is a brilliant opener to the EP, welcoming listeners to a city full of no’s, making commentary on the constant rejections musicians receive on the daily. The song’s music video features a frantic Layne walking the streets (Blah Blah Boulevard as she calls it) of her fictional city, tearing down her own bright pink flyers that promote her as a “Pop Star For Hire.” The flier features funny lines that refer to Layne as “chronically offline,” “cheap to book” and “family friendly-ish.”
“I moved here bright-eyed, heart wide open / To the mess thinking it’s a yes, yes / Ten years and all my fears turned into my address,” Layne sings in verse one of “MEHTROPOLIS.”
Image: Ivory Layne / Instagram
“SPACE!” explores setting healthy boundaries against those that aren’t good for you, using plenty of clever references to outer space. The lyrics are placed on a hyperpop beat, one that you can’t help but bob your head to. Layne’s production skills shine in “SPACE!”; you can hear her purposefully addicting synths and unique sound effects (like glass shattering and glistening pixie dust) scattered throughout the song.
In an ode to Alice in Wonderland, the third track “LIKE ALICE” dives (literally) down the all-too-familiar rabbit hole of anxiety, especially when trying to get and keep someone’s attention. From stalking someone’s Instagram to dissecting each text sent and unsent, Layne creates a humorously vulnerable song that almost mirrors the concept in “SPACE!” of telling someone to stay away from you. “LIKE ALICE” has Layne desperately wanting to get with someone, even if it drives her crazy.
“Tell me what you want in / What you want in love / Tell me what you want and Imma be the one to be it,” Layne sings in the bridge.
Fourth track “OPAL RING” gives a softer vibe compared to the beautiful, high-energy chaos of the EP’s first half. The wispy, glimmering production on “OPAL RING” magically washes over listeners and Layne’s angelic vocals drift into spiraling late-night thoughts about her relationship: “Am I drowning or am I coming to life?”
A pure anthem for independent albums, “ASMR” is a standout track on the EP. And no, this song isn’t about whispering, tapping or eating directly into the microphone (although the first few seconds may make listeners think otherwise). To Layne, “ASMR” is “Art Should Make Rent.” This track is the singer’s catchy, powerful declaration of irritation toward the ruthless music industry: “How come I can’t make a living, but you can live without me singing?”
The idea behind “ASMR” is what fuels Layne’s entire EP — it is titled Part Time Jobs Near Me, after all, about how independent artists have to work one-off jobs to make a living to finance their life’s passion: creating art. You can hear the grit and frustration in Layne’s voice throughout this song and her production feels anthemic, bound to strike deep in any person who knows the struggle.
Graphic by Emma Ransom (Crave Music Magazine)
“I do it for the love but the love doesn’t pay all the bills / They keep on coming,” Layne sings.
The final song, “MISS GRAVITY,” closes the EP in a brilliantly epic way. Exploring the theme of ambitions not meeting the expectations you painted for yourself. The production of this track is heavy and disco-esque, creating an interesting and ironic mix of self-deprecating lyrics on top of a beat that would play at a house party. Throughout the bridge, Layne’s voice begins to slow, and a record scratch switches “MISS GRAVITY” up entirely, bringing listeners to a raw Layne playing piano and singing softly.
This song features what I consider one of Layne’s most creative/punny lyrics in the whole EP: “Call me Miss Gravity now / Cause I’m letting you down.”
Days after its release, Layne posted an EP listening guide on Instagram, letting fans in on the tid-bits and fun facts of the making of each song. For “MISS GRAVITY,” Layne said the sound of her rolling around in her dad’s office wheelie chair made it into the song because she finished producing these songs in his office. Details like this humanize the already personal record and bring those real-life touches that fuel the EP.
Part Time Jobs Near Me is a brilliant piece of work that deserves as many ears as possible. To anyone who has faced a struggle of life: this record will act as a form of musical therapy or as a friend you can rant to. All six songs showcase a different one of Layne’s specialties, and makes it all the more impressive when you remember that she wrote, produced, financed and marketed the entire EP alone — a truly respectable one-woman show.
Keep up with Ivory Layne and stream Part Time Jobs Near Me:
Website/ Instagram / YouTube / Spotify
