Delving into Wasia Project's dazzling, new EP, 'Isotope'

Cover artwork for Wasia Project's 'Isotope' (2024)

Move over, Billie and Finneas — there’s a new sibling duo making waves in the music industry. Olivia Hardy and William Gao, the powerhouses behind Wasia Project, have just dropped their electrifying sophomore EP, 'Isotope'. Formed in 2019, the duo shortly captured attention with their debut EP 'How Can I Pretend' (2022), and now, just over two years later, they’re back with a fresh, compelling sound that's sure to leave a mark. The pair have also released a debut 20-minute short film, in collaboration with iconic directors Charlie Drinkwater and Charles Gall, in which both Hardy and Gao play the same, fluid character. This unique approach to the popular music video scene assists the building of Wasia Project's world for this EP, and appropriately illustrates the depth and complexities of the subject matter.

The EP kicks off with its single, 'Is This What Love Is?', a track that leans more into the indie side of the duo's eclectic sound, but with jazz elements pulsing through in the backing track, complimenting Hardy's flawless and yearning vocals. The song details the complicated emotions of love, and the intensity of having such strong emotions, with the second verse reading 'Is this what love is? / 'Cause I feel lonely / The feeling overflows me like a fountain or / An avalanche on a mountain'. The pair's lyricism details the uncontrollability of infatuation, when paired with these natural images of fountains and avalanches. Joined with a pulsing and speeding tempo, the track throws the listener into how it feels to be in love: the emotion propels you through the time in the relationship, regardless of what your brain may be thinking. Not only is this an incredible pairing of sound and lyricism, but a great way to immerse the listener into this new world and era of Wasia Project. Some may say the perfect opening track (it's us, we're saying that!)

Wasia Project, photographed by Alex Waespi.

Continuing this exploration of unruly love, the second song (and, aptly, the second single), 'Takes Me Back Home' takes a more vulnerable and stripped back approach to the subject matter. A complete contrast to the brisk pace of the prior track, but remaining with the yearning for connection and reciprocity when feeling in love with another being. Lines read 'And I know / I can't save him from the fire / But I'm Cold / And I wanted more than ever / And nobody's watching if I follow / If I go', emphasising this idea of belonging with another person regardless of what else is going on. The maintained symbolism of temperature, with the chorus describing how the loved one in question 'makes me feel warm', really emphasising this feeling of comfortable connection and homeliness that is so often found with the romantic emotion. The track concludes with an instrumental coda mirroring the distinguished melody of the song, furthering the intensity of the emotions in question - the first of many unique and powerful uses of instrumental storytelling in the pair's project.

'Takes Me Back Home' is followed by an instrumental interlude sharing the EP's title — 'Isotope (Interlude)' — which takes a slightly more electronic stance that we're used to with Wasia Project. This being said, the electronic beat is paired with echoed vocals that share a similar sound to the first two tracks, as well as the inclusion of jazz instruments. It feels like this track submerges you into the soundscape of the project, while also feeling like this is backing music to the metaphorical home in the track before. Something that the duo have done incredibly well in this project is continuity and the stringing of threads throughout each tracks, and it is intensely apparent in the inclusion of this interlude in the track list.

Wasia Project for Rolling Stone in 2023. Photographed by Ollie Patterson.

'Somebody Come Through' was a highly anticipated tune in the Blonde Vibrations household after we watched the pair perform the track, while unreleased, at All Points East (read our review of Wasia Project's set here!) This explosive and addictive track had everyone dancing to its existential lyrics, continuing with the questioning of 'Is This What Love Is?' and the longing in asking for connectivity and answers to the relatable yet discombobulating questions featured. The song's pre-chorus sings 'Here we go again / Back in the same places / Why? Oh, why do I still feel / Like nothing changes?', reiterating in a self-reflecting way of the repetition of the song's themes. To refer to the EP's title, an isotope is a form of element which has the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, when in combination with the 'Isotope's common themes provides us with two additional readings. On the one hand, this influences an analysis of a relationship of imbalanced feelings, with this strong emotion of love being unrequited. While another suggests a repetition of situations or experiences with little changes, but a repetition nevertheless. This remarkable track could absolutely be read with both of these analyses in mind, especially in relation to its pre-chorus cited above.

Track 5, 'To Get Better', showcases Gao's voice, a break to Hardy's classic singing in the tracks thus far, which adds to this reading of isotopes being a repetition regardless of individual differences. Written solo by Gao, the lines in this tune are poetic and intricately detailed, with lines like 'We're kissing poison and the arguments are melting like the sand' feeling like they could be taken directly from the Wasia Project song and into a poetry book. Nearing the end of the EP, this track feels like it's a real pivotal point of the duo's storytelling as the first verse shares the pain of the extension of these uncontrollable emotions: 'I don't wanna be with me anymore / And oh, it's such a shame to feel like I'm out of control.' While the ending turns more optimistic: 'So hug me tight and wish me luck, my friend / And hope that we will link our arms again / 'Cause I'm really, really smilin' to get better', with this song being the last words of the entire EP. For a project that is so heavily concerned with the inevitability of discomfort when in love, Wasia Project conclude the album with a hopeful undertone from another unique perspective.

Frame from Wasia Project's 'Isotope' short film, directed by Charlie & Charlie (2024)

The EP then closes with two instrumental tracks, '...' and 'Tell Me Lies (fin)', which remind us of the pair's passion and talent lying in classical music. '...' continues the peaceful humming melody that was planted in the prior track, as a wind-down to the high intensity and dramatics of the whole EP, While 'Tell Me Lies' has a Justin Hurwitz's 'La La Land' (2016) tone, continuing this peaceful yet encouraging conclusion to the project. This instrumental track's theatrical elements allows the listener time to reflect upon the storytelling of 'Isotope' and reminds us of the delicate and intricate presentation of love as an emotion in all its forms, to such detail that we would expect in a Hollywood movie.

To conclude, Wasia Project, with their previous releases, have already proved their musical abilities and comfort in travelling across genres, but 'Isotope' truly showcases their exceptional storytelling and musical artistry. By centering the project on such an emotional subject, Gao and Hardy have crafted an EP that feels deeply personal and resonates with listeners on multiple levels. This focused approach not only enhances the impact of the EP format but also sets a high bar for other artists to follow. 'Isotope' is a must-listen for everyone, regardless of genre preference or familiarity with the duo.