#mountain with a view

[carlytayjepsen]

it's not fucking news to you, babe.

[1989xtaylorsversion]

over for you // mountain with a view

[anhandfulgirl18]

But you never took that last flight to see me...

[takeawaythepain]

“you’ll say i’m crazy for being the one to leave/ scream i’m just like my parents and giving up easy” OUCH

[goldenmusicmoments]

A Look Into 'Rolling Up The Welcome Mat' By Kelsea Ballerini:

Kelsea Ballerini last year announced that her and Morgan Evans were going their separate ways. They’d been married for nearly five years. Though in the announcement they didn’t make much of the details public. Morgan however after the announcement made it clear he didn’t want the divorce. To which Kelsea didn’t respond. Morgan soon after performed a new song titled ‘Over For You’ live and it generated some buzz. Which then prompted him to officially release it as a single. On the track he poses questions in regards to when she felt it was over for her and that how long had this been on her mind. He even goes as far as to ask whether there was someone else. Whilst presenting it with vulnerability and it seems to have resonated with an audience. The publicity around their marriage falling apart, aided in the song performing decently and garnering him a lot more attention than he’d received before.

Kelsea on the other hand had just started the run of her fourth studio album ‘Subject To Change’ and thus it was too late for her to decide to go back into the studio and rework the body of work. So that it could resonate with where she was at now. She released the album and has continued to promote it and she still is in its cycle. Her and her label have just pushed ‘If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)’ to radio as the next single and just shot a music video for it as well. So she isn’t giving up on the album just yet, which is great as it has so much left in it. There are quite a few more single options that she should consider before bringing that era to a close.

She surprise announced the day before Valentine’s Day that she was releasing an extended play and a short film to accompany it. The track titles and the teaser were enough to let us know she was going to finally address what many had been anticipating. She was ready to tell her side of the story. The short film she wrote and directed herself. It’s simple, but cleverly done and provides a perfect accompaniment to the music. Really allowing for the lyrics to remain the focal point. The imagery and moments provide for a lot to break down and interpret.

Now lets dive into the music itself. The EP starts of with the track ‘Mountain With A View’, where she seems to get straight to the point of addressing the point at which she felt the marriage was over. She looks over the marriage and feels that the love that was there at the start of their relationship eventually fizzled out, as she feels that he loved her more at twenty-three. She touches on their careers getting in the way of them having time together, and him not showing up in moments she needed him to be there for her. However she doesn’t present it as one sided, she acknowledges that she’s made mistakes and paid for them. It seems like letting go was the only option for her at this point and that it allowed her to set herself free from something that seemed to be holding her down. Her saying ‘Scream, I’m just like my parents and giving up easy’, is what she thinks he’d have said due to her parents being divorced. It also points to how her parents separation had an impact on her and her marriage. She holds back on the production, keeping the lyrics the focal point. Her vocal delivery gives the track a feel of contemplation and you feel how emotionally drained she is from the situation. She revisits the opening line bringing the track to a close on a full circle moment.

‘Just Married’ follows, led by a gentle guitar with her vocal at the forefront. The background vocals during the chorus and the way she closes the track give it a dreamy feel. That feel is very representative of what you envision a wedding day to feel like, as she touches upon her wedding day here. Lyrically she sings about the relationship consisting of love initially, however once they got married that seemed to have changed. Her use of ‘Just’ is very clever her as the way she presents it, also gives it a negative connotation. The song also showcases how great of a songwriter she is. She highlights that she may have been too young then to fully understand what she wanted and whether she was actually ready for marriage. She also puts forth that he seems to have had the typical expectations of her in the marriage. Though her doing the dishes plays out in its literal form, it can also be seen to have a metaphorical value. It seems that the pressure got too much for her and she reached breaking point. She seems to feel guilty and remorseful for ending the marriage. Which is put forward in the lyric ‘And dammit, I wish I wasn’t this ready, to undo I do.’. 

We then move on to the piano driven track ‘Penthouse’ and it opens on a dreamy vocal moment. She then gets straight to it. This tale of playing house, they seem to have been playing the part of their roles. Nothing more, it doesn’t seem to have held the sentiment it was supposed to. Her saying ‘I guess wrong can look alright, when you’re playing home in a penthouse baby,’ is interesting. Pointing to how certain things can mask the reality of what is actually going on. She tried to make changes in hopes that it would lead to things getting better, like buying a house that had space for when they would be ready to start a family. However even that wasn’t enough. When the two do part ways she ends up having to give him half the value of the house she bought. Her saying that the moment stung indicates that it was a consequence of her filing for divorce, and that it felt as though she is being punished for the decision she had to make. She then takes you to where she is at now, that she is moving on as she sings ‘I kissed someone new last night’, however even then she finds herself still thinking about him. The track closes on her saying she bought the house they saw together, that he didn’t like, but she wanted it all along. Hinting at him overpowering her in the relationship, that she had to often put her desires aside for him. Now that they separated she feels as though she is free and able to finally do things her way.

A short interlude follows and Kelsea packs a lot in forty-six seconds. There is a drastic shift in sound from the previous tracks as it takes on a more pop heavy production. She addresses what took her this long to finally tell her side of the story and that what is being thrown about in the media doesn’t capture the actuality of the situation. Posing the question ‘So, which side are you gonna take now?’, highlights how a marriage dissolving to some looks like a game, that you have to pick sides. She is aware that by her choosing to end the marriage she has made a decision that has had quite the impact on her life, however she stands by it.

Continuing with the pop production ‘Blindsided’ puts forth the question as to whether he actually was blindside or was he just blind. As she states there were obvious signs such us them going through couples therapy to indicate that there was something wrong. Especially since he in ‘Over For You’ plays it out as though he never saw the end coming. It seems as though he choose to ignore it all, as it was easy for him to do so. Her vocal delivery of the lyrics gives the song a conversational feel as though she is directly talking to him. The bridge features a specific moment, where she brings the production to a hold. It showcases her having to put on a front for the media, when she actually wanted to break down and cry. For the closing chorus she uses a sample of someone saying ‘It’s not news to you, babe, You’ve been in this relationship, it’s not news to you’, which enhances the feeling of frustration she had with him not paying attention to what he should have. 

‘Leave Me Again’ brings the EP to a close and it is an acoustic guitar moment making it feel detached from the rest of the tracks. Here she is wishing him all the best and hoping that he eventually finds what he has always wanted. She hopes he is living life doing the things he loves. For herself all that she hopes is that she never again loses track of herself, that she always remembers to love herself. As she in the marriage found that she had lost a part of herself, now she is rediscovering it and makes an oath to not lose it again. Which is a beautiful note to leave things on.

The extended play is a great effort from Kelsea and showcases how great of a songwriter in particular she is. It really feels like a career defining moment for her, as it has been well received so far by both critics and the general public. Initially she intended to dropped it and then leave it be. However due to such a strong reception, she ended up adding the songs to her tour setlist and even went on to SNL to perform ‘Penthouse’ and ‘Blindsided’. 

[just-tequila-talking]

i can’t handle another year of you and i just being fine

[alltoowell-taylorsversion]

SCREAM IM JUST LIKE MY PARENTS AND GIVING UP EASY BUT YOU NEVER TOOK THAT LAST FLIGHT TO SEE ME

[erggggggggg]

why i have this EP on when i’m already emotional i don’t know but god damn it’s so good i can’t help it

[heylsgowt]

[self-made-cages]

It's 7 AM and I'm on a mountain with a view / I'm the only one, alone, at a table meant for two / Big Sur looks beautiful this morning / and I should be missing you

[ecoharbor]

📍Shipwreck Beach (Navagio), Zakynthos, Greece 🇬🇷

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

Lavender Valley and Mount Hood, Oregon, USA

[moodboard-d]

[breathtakingdestinations]

Antorno Lake - South Tyrol - Italy (by Umberto Salvagnin)

[just-tequila-talking]

I think that this is when I cut the ties

I think that is when I set myself free

[petitworld]

by Marlon Holden