With his dejected and weary voice, Keshi’s music haunts your playlist. “Stressed out/ Feelin' lost and I don't know what to do now/ What I chose ain't really gonna work out.” These lines, taken from “skeletons,” the title track of this EP (extended play), hold a kind of exasperated and tired feeling recognizable in some of Keshi’s other works. The alternative/indie artist released his most recent EP, skeletons in July of 2019 and it’ll definitely be on loop for you after just one listen. Keshi said in an interview with From The Intercom that he was planning on releasing "a small EP of four songs, like the best things I can come up with." skeletons is that EP he was talking about and there is no doubt that all 4 of the songs on it are some of Keshi's best.

Keshi, whose real name is Casey Luong, is a 25 year old Vietnamese-American singer/songwriter/music producer. He took an interest in creating music when he was 13 and first picked up the guitar. As of now, he has a number of popular songs credited to his name, such as "over u" and "2 soon," along with many more songs that he has been working on. Keshi’s social media following has increased steeply since his debut as an artist on soundcloud in 2016, and his listener base and fans have only continued to grow. As of November, 2019, he has now accumulated over 190 thousand followers on Instagram and tens of thousands of followers on both Twitter and on Soundcloud, a music streaming site. He also has over 1.7 million listeners per month on Spotify. It’s clear that Keshi has exploded in popularity, going from unknown to music-listeners to a popular indie artist.

The title track, “skeletons” has a sound similar to a previous popular work by Keshi, “2 soon.” Acoustic guitar mixed with nostalgic lofi melodies and an alternative backing track envelopes you in Keshi’s memorable music. When you take a closer listen you can notice that “skeletons” has more acoustic guitar and a heavier trap beat than “atlas,” another song from the EP does. This combination of trap and acoustic lends “skeletons” a more unique sound, that creates a familiar comforting feeling while still maintaining Keshi’s musical style.

Another track from skeletons “atlas” is one of Keshi’s most popular songs to date, with over 430 thousand views on his live version on youtube. Keshi himself has also mentioned that “atlas” is one of his favorite songs he has written. And there is no doubt that it deserves this title. "atlas" has moody and down lyrics and yet it is a great comfort to me to listen to it to wind down or when I'm tired or stressed. In his amazing vocals, Keshi delivers a story that many can relate to in his lyrics: "Guess I'm a little bit scared/ Of the things I don't understand/ Finding semblance of comfort/ That nothing will go like I planned."

"summer," the third track on this EP, is refreshingly upbeat in comparison to the rest of the songs, especially when compared to "xoxosos," which has much more mature lyrics about heartbreak and an unhealthy relationship. The acoustic guitar is much more emphasized in “summer”, and if you pay attention, you’ll be able to hear retro-sounding sound effects reminiscent of video game blips, adding to the youthful vibe of the song. When you listen to "summer" it makes you feel nostalgic for young love and resisting-but inevitably falling for-crushes during those 3 months of youthful freedom. "Feel like summer and I don't wanna miss you/ If we don't touch lips not an issue/ I don't wanna talk 'bout nobody else/ Know I said no love but I want to." "summer" is a much loved song, with its music video on youtube garnering over 440 thousand views. The clipped videos and editing along with the fun visuals make a music video befitting for such an upbeat and youthful song.

skeletons is definitely what Keshi intended it to be, a compilation of some of his best and most stylistic works. He brings a variety of genres and stories to the table while maintaining the familiar alternative and trap sound his previous works have. It is truly evidence of the effort that he puts into making music and shows how much passion he has for sharing his creations with the world. skeletons is definitely a memorable collection that you will find yourself coming back to whenever you need a cry, or when you need something to pick you up, or if you merely need something to listen to. Just press play and let Keshi do the rest.