Piper Connolly – “she’s too much!” Review
Look, people remember things wrong! They like to have their brain play tricks on them. They prefer to remember the past, especially their teenage years, as a series of glorious events that all made sense and came together to lead towards some great success.
Still, the world rarely makes that much sense. Besides, it’s the teenagers, with their hearts and minds fully open and, finally, allowed to assess the world around them, who see clearly just how many things are wrong, corrupt, or don’t measure up. Their anger is born out of the optimism that things can be better.
Piper Connolly could’ve played it safe on the 2026 EP release, “she’s too much!” Just look at those streaming figures. Why, this is a pop star with endless commercial potential. Instead, Connolly’s opted to keep the hooks and pop-standard production and blend it with righteous anger and profound questions about what this life is really worth.
The result is something that will please casual listeners seeking a good beat and a confident vocal delivery, but, especially, reward devoted listeners willing to share in the rebellious nature of Connolly’s compositions.
Pop Hooks, Rock Grit
It’s a good time for female singers with attitude. It’s the right moment for teenage pop stars who have something to say. In that regard, Piper Connolly’s EP borrows heavily from the tactics of alt-rock heroes The Breeders’ Kim Deal, or pop-punk megastars like Hayley Williams.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. For the most part, Connolly just sounds like a young woman who knows what she wants. Just listen to the EP’s opener, “beautiful life,” the singer’s Summer anthem with a twist. Connolly sings about a love affair lived her way, one infatuation isn’t allowed to be weighed down by complications.
While this is the EP’s main single, and arguably the song’s most pop-forward moment, scratching below the surface reveals a fascinating vision. There are, of course, the lyrical observations that are clever and push it out of being a mere Summer-fling tune. And there’s the bittersweet melodies over that established chord progression that make “beautiful life” a not-too-distant cousin to Chris Isaak’s epochal “Wicked Game.”
What does a young pop star want even more than glory and success? In Connolly’s case, the answer is simple. She wants respect, and she’s doing all that she can to get it, knowing full well that challengers are bound to appear when least expected.
“body bag” is the EP’s grittiest number, albeit one where catchy melodies abound. This is a song about a friend whose actions are sure to turn them into a rival. Connolly announces herself up to the task of dispatching justice if need be and uses goth-tinged verse to do it, and crushing alt-rock guitar tones in the chorus to fully get her point across.
Connolly knows that these kinds of things come with the territory. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, she became a recording artist when other teens were spending their time worrying about schoolwork and fashion trends.
And while Connolly may have felt the same pressures and exuberance as any other teen, she’s made it her mission to express those feelings through pop-rock songs that are both gritty and sweet. A series of singles released in 2024 showcased those intentions. One of those was a cover version of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” a sign that the young Connolly is well aware of her rock n’ roll predecessors and of the expectations that this kind of musical direction creates.
This path toward authentic artistic expression has also brought Piper Connolly in front of the camera. This is a detail worth remembering while listening to “she’s too much!”
There’s, for example, something of the theatrical on the track “unapologetic,” like an actress that knows precisely where to sit and how to deliver lines in order to draw attention to herself.
“unapologetic” brings to mind the soft, slick, well-produced pop-rock singles of the 2000s. It’s designed cleverly, using a swirling acoustic guitar riff that anchors the verses and clears the path for a stadium-sized chorus where Connolly’s bright, resonant vocals cut through nicely.
Razor-sharp bubblegum-pop
It’s only the artists who really want to achieve notoriety that are able to say precisely what they’re about in the shortest amount of words possible. It’s only they who master the art of the ideal slogan, of perfect self-promotion.
Connolly’s excellently titled track “bubblegum with razorblades” achieves just that, serving not only as a fitting introduction to her work, but also as a kind of manifesto.
Sure, there will be some who will question the experience of a teenage singer. There will even be those who will dare claim that this is merely pop music packaged for rock audiences. What is Connolly’s response? Bring it on! The song reveals that Connolly is well aware of the world that she’s stepping into and that past experiences have made her immune to this type of criticism. On “bubblegum with razorblades”, she promises to never again be affected in the way that she used to be.
This, however, she assures us, doesn’t mean that she’s hiding either. In fact, if Connolly’s confessed mission is to find a way to express herself truly and fully, she certainly brings in plenty of honesty and vulnerability for “better than this.”
It’s a song that incorporates retro-sounding synth hooks and vintage drum machines. But this is a track designed to sound as if it belongs on 1980s pop radio, but rather one that takes those influences and creates a moody sound akin to contemporary pop starlets like Lana Del Rey or Lorde.
Here, Connolly describes herself as a “disaster” and warns a potential love interest that stepping into her world will not be a smooth journey. This is the work of a complex, young artist shaping what is already a pretty sophisticated vision of the world.
Piper Connolly’s Mission
And how could it be any different? Connolly’s barely a teenager, but she’s taking on the mission of singing loud, effervescent pop-rock that mixes retro obsessions with contemporary pop tricks. She’s opted to show her true self on record, but also, by doing this, to reach out to fans and ask them: “Don’t you feel just the same as I do?”
Where does it all leave us? Connolly is aware of the trappings and dangers of this world. But, given her opportunities and abilities, she’d be mad not to enjoy herself just a little. “joyride” is a song about a relationship that seems doomed from the beginning, but one that’s got a force that cannot be denied. It’s the EP’s catchiest track, one that, in terms of dynamics and production, calls to mind Taylor Swift’s global juggernaut “1989” album. It’s a song where Connolly, finally, giddily embraces the chaos.
“she’s too much!” finds Piper Connolly inventing herself not just as a pop star, but as the intriguing hero of her own story. The songs here are constructed not merely to be sung along to, but with the view to inspire others who, like Connolly, are facing the world head-on and keeping true to themselves every step of the way.
