credit: Shervin Lainez
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On her debut EP Tides, Ashley Myles sings about tides, fires, and storms—all phenomena that could describe her voice. Her powerhouse vocals are tsunamis and fireworks and hurricanes, but they’re also wading pools and sparks and squalls. Within her power, she channels the obstacles that made her that way.
Tides, out on March 25, showcases four tracks that dive deep into the understanding that there are situations we can’t change. The soul-infused pop songs carry their own, but it’s Myles’ voice that really lifts them up.
“Growing up in Long Island, I always felt the pull of New York City,” says Ashley. It was in the city where she came of age with Broadway, soaking in the energy of the performances. And it was in Madison Square Garden where she performed her first professional role at age 11—a Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz.
Musical theater shaped much of Myles’ vocal and performance development. As a child, she learned the bel canto method of singing. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Berklee School of Music for acting and performance lessons, respectively. She attended the Jazz Music Program at The New School for college. “I definitely learned stage presence from my theatre days, as well as storytelling through music,” Myles says.
With Tides, she brings those skills to four original songs. In them, she delivers clear-eyed reflections on relationships and overcoming adversity. Working with co-writer and producer Rob Kleiner (Kylie Minogue, Cee Lo Green) in his Los Angeles studio, Myles transformed her songs into forces of nature.
“’Tides’ is about the cyclical nature of relationships. They ebb and flow, but ultimately we revisit similar themes in the various relationships we may have, whether that be with family, friends, or romantic partners,” says the singer-songwriter.
The anthemic R&B track pulses with Myles’ sultry soul vibes. “You play the part / I patch the holes,” Myles sings, acknowledging the unsteady nature of a relationship. “Gonna name this storm after you / ‘cause there’s a before and after you,” she later sings. There’s so much wisdom in those lines, unfurling like a rainstorm that washes you clean.
“Tides” gives way to “Fire”—elementally opposed, but here both songs are about refusing to settle for less. “Fire” is built upon a big, bluesy stomp that bolsters Myles’s voice without overpowering it. In the vein of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” the structure and instrumentation form the perfect cheering squad for Myles’ demanding attention from a lover.
“It’s about longing for something more in a relationship. It’s when you want more from the person, more passion, but you don’t want to scare them off,” she says. “Fire, not to burn you down / not to run you out of town / I just need a little heat to make me feel complete / when you're not around,” she confesses in the lyrics, the whole song shot through with sexual tension.
“Bricks” is a striking piano ballad, the repeated arpeggios standing in for the ruins of a relationships.
“So, what did I expect? / I’ve never been an architect,” Myles opens, and we brace ourselves to hear about a collapse. But, more painfully, the song is delivered from the brink of one. “Bricks can build us up / bricks can weigh us down,” she sings in the chorus.
The song is an honest, relatable conversation one might have in the tough moments of a relationship. For every woman who’s ever asserted herself in a relationship even though her hands were shaking, this is a must-listen.
Closing track “The Storm” is an inspirational song with an electrifying chorus. The verses slow-burn with references to futility and frustration. The production perfectly sets up the transition to the chorus’ explosion, which reminds us that with crisis comes new opportunities.
“This is the struggle from which you are born,” Myles sings. This lyric is the perfect microcosm for the EP. Her songs don’t deny that we all face storms. Instead, it celebrates that these moments of upheaval are the times in which one can shine. Just as lightning can form glass, our challenges make us infinitely bolder versions of ourselves.