Holander releases her highly anticipated, antisocial anthem, "E-Girl"
Holander is LA's glitter grunge princess who embodies the bright lights and buzzing energy of a city after dark. She’s garnered a reputation for interweaving evocative stories with raw emotions against the backdrop of edgy, earworm pop melodies.
Holander explores the corners of indie-pop by masterfully knitting together brat, brooding, electro, dance and alternative pop. Embracing vulnerability as empowerment, she runs the emotional gamut from pettiness to passionate and carefree to heart-wrenching across a never- ending non-stop bop.
In 2019 she released her EP Glitter Grunge, which includes her hit Boy Tears. In 2021, she released two singles, Car Crash, and Quarantine Love Song. We were also lucky enough to chat with Holander about her EP, which you can listen to on our podcast PopRocks Interviews. During our chat, she told us about her upcoming digital era, and now we are finally able to hear a glimpse into this new phase of Holander’s sound. Her highly anticipated, antisocial anthem, “E-Girl” dropped today and marks the beginning of a new era for Holander.
I love your new single E-Girl, it fits in with your badass carefree songs from your last EP Glitter Grunge. Can you tell me about the song?
Thanks so much! E-Girl is my antisocial anthem. It’s actually a little bit more angsty than my usual stuff, and it means a lot to me. The song is about being tired of people coming in and out of your life. That loving-hard-and-getting-hurt cycle. It refers to friends, lovers, professional relationships, any relationship that meant a lot and felt like it ended too quickly. It’s painful, but beautiful. When I wrote the song, I was just overwhelmed and wanted to be alone. Of course though, in my way, I had flip the script halfway through and remind everyone that when everyone is watching your IG story, you are the star. Your vulnerability is mesmerizing, and you have power. (re: “But on your screen, I’m a digital queen”)
The meaning behind E-Girl is so relatable, especially at a time when social media consumes our lives and so many of us compare ourselves to others. Your music is always so uplifting and makes the listener feel good. Do you consider the listeners feeling empowered when you’re writing your music?
Yes and no. Of course I don’t always want to be writing with the listener in mind, because the song might come out feeling contrived if I’m trying to produce what I think my audience will want to hear. I aim to express myself and have fun.
It’s more of a life goal and general through line with my music (and my personal life) to communicate empowerment and positivity. When I have the listener, a friend, or even myself loosely in the back of my mind, I try to talk to them like a best friend who needs a pep talk. Except that I write it all in first person. I’ve written so many songs after having a bad day and saying to myself, “hold up. You are a bad bitch. Don’t forget it.” Wait, that’s good. I may have to write those exact words into my next song!
How did the idea for E-Girl start?
It’s funny because I thought my EP was done. I had six songs, but I felt like two of them were somewhat similar. So I said to myself, “I’m going to go into the studio today and if I write the sixth track then great, otherwise I’ll use the other one.” And then “E-Girl” happened, which actually might be my favorite track off of the EP.
The song started with a note that I had written in my phone one night that week. It read, “too many boys.” I was overwhelmed with old heartbreak, new love, new doubts— a lot. I’m an empath, so I was exhausted. I just wanted to sit in my room alone and play Sims. Lol. I didn’t want to deal with reality. The process of writing the song and making it super fun and sound cool was so cathartic for me.
Do you think this feeling has been heightened during the past year during the pandemic while we are trying to focus on ourselves more?
Yeah, totally. I know I've definitely been more antisocial in this pandemic, personally. But we’re still awesome and we’re still here. We have to ebb and flow with life. That’s all we can do. And it can be beautiful if we let it. Feeling emotions is ok, even the bad ones. It’s all part of your story.
What message do you have for the listeners when they hear E-Girl?
I want them to know that it’s ok to just want to stay in and just be on your phone or be on your computer. It’s ok to want to be antisocial and avoid your emotions for a sec. I want to whisper in your ear in those times and let you know that you’re not alone in that. There are others just like you. And you’re going to be ok. And look you’re still an iconic digital queen, even if you’re sad :)
Does E-Girl reflect the sound and feelings that will appear on your upcoming EP?
Yes! It’s a great sneak preview of the EP. There’s some classic Holander badassery in there as well as some more vulnerable tracks like E-Girl. Vulnerability is incredibly empowering, and I’m so glad to be opening up to my audience more and exploring new takes on those more difficult emotions.
What else can you tell me about your upcoming EP “Digital Queen” I can’t wait to hear!
I’m so excited for all the digital themes that weave throughout the EP. It’s very blunt and honest. And raw. There’s a detailed party song where I give someone mono (which actually happened), the most savage “fuck you” song I’ve written so far, a song that makes you feel like you’re surrounded by butterflies, and more.
Stream "E-Girl" now:
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