Introduction
Welcome back to another music review with Skylar! This week’s review is going to be Guardin’s EP, “Outsider.” This is one of my favorite artists of all time, and by far, my favorite project of his. Just like all of my other reviews, I’ll be following the same format- background information on the artist, track by track analysis and review, and then wrapping it all up with my final thoughts. I’ll be skipping the actual first track on this album simply because it is just a commentary intro. (But I do think the commentary was good. It introduces the album subject very well.)
Background Info
Nicholas Jordan Kerr-Carpenter was born December 6, 1996 in Hornell, New York. He’s an artist that began uploading and producing his own music on SoundCloud around 2015. Very early in his career he only produced beats, and none of his songs had lyrics. It wasn’t until 2017 that he started uploading his music onto other platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. This is also when he started adding lyrics, and overall upgrading his sound. A lot of his discography is still exclusive to SoundCloud, but some of those songs can also be found on YouTube. Most of his music falls under the emo rap genre, but he also does acoustic music, and has recently shifted to the hyperpop genre. I’m only going to include some of his notable projects, because, has way too many to include all of them. It would genuinely be several pages long if I were to do so.
His EP “Ataraxy” was released on May 10, 2017, exclusive to SoundCloud and YouTube. “Lacuna” was his first album, which released Oct. 31, 2017. “Outsider,” his first EP to be released on all platforms, came out Mar. 18, 2018. His next EP was actually a two-part release. “Creature pt. 1” was launchedSept 20, 2019. This was the same project where his biggest song “I think you’re really cool,” released the year before, was featured. “Creature pt. 2” was then released Jan. 10, 2020. That same year, he released his sophomore album “So, that’s it, huh?” on Dec. 31, 2020. He wrapped up the “Creature” project with “Creatures Together” Oct. 5, 2022.
His most recent album, “Oddity” dropped Jan. 31, 2025. Kerr-Carpenter has been on approximately 38 or so tours and is currently headlining the “It’s Raining Cats and Dogs” tour with fellow artists Kennedyxoxo and Fijimar.
Track 1: Cliffnote (10/10)
“Sleep is for the weak, and I’m afraid of givin’ up”
“Cliffnote” is a metaphor for standing on the edge of a cliff and writing a note about everything you’ve realized while on the edge. The song has a lot of lines about feeling overwhelmed and going through sporadic highs and lows. There are also lines about substance use, which isn’t uncommon in the emo rap scene.
This is by far my favorite track on the EP. It’s very catchy, his flow is phenomenal, and the overall production on the track is amazing. It’s a relatively short song, so I would normally say I wish it was longer, but I think the length fits the vibe of the song well. I like how random the lyrics can get, but I also appreciate the deeper meaning lyrics within the song. If you choose to listen to any song off of this EP, I heavily recommend this one.
Track 2: Forget It ft. Qawi Kamri (9/10)
“Nineteen when I met her, I couldn’t forget her”
“Forget It” was written about the fall out of a toxic relationship. Even though the relationship wasn’t healthy, you still miss the person you dated. One person just brought in a lot of drama, while the other wasn’t doing well mentally. It’s also about trying to forget all of the memories made together, but no matter how hard you try. you just can’t do it. Lyrics like “Burning photographs,” and “In every stranger’s face, all I see is you” are good examples of the struggles of trying to forget a past lover. Even though you are trying to forget, you don’t actually want to let go.
I think this is a great heartbreak song to listen to and feel out any anger and sadness you have. I love the raw emotion not only in the lyrics, but the vocals, too. Kerr-Carpenter really brings all of the anger and frustration into the song, while Qawi Kamri brings sorrow and regretfulness. I think it’s a great blend between the two of them.
I feel like I’m listening to someone vent about their experience with toxic relationships,
while I listen to this song. I’m honestly only taking off a point from the score because I’m a Qawi Kamri hater, but I did think he exceeded my expectations in this song.
Track 3: By The Creek (10/10)
“I think I finally struck a chord violently / Ripped it right out the seems”
“By The Creek” is a song full of metaphors about struggling with mental health and your inner demons. “They found another body by the creek” symbolizes another tragedy happening in Kerr-Carpenter’s life, or even finding another flaw to be upset about. The song also talks about abusing substances to try and cope with a break up.
I like this song because it kind of feels like you are by the creek in a horror movie. Even though I don’t like horror movies, I think the title encaptures the vibe of the song well. His raspy, low, and breathy vocals really adds to the vibe. The imagery and metaphors in the lyrics is done very well, too.
Track 4: Codename Juliet ft. Sadeyes (10/10)
“Push that dagger straight through my heart again”
It’s probably safe to assume that “Codename Juliet” is a continuation of an earlier song on the EP, “Forget It.” It talks about burning photographs of the pictures you had of a past lover. It’s focuses on ruminating about the past lover, and wanting them back. Kerr-Carpenter is not taking it well, and using harmful coping mechanisms such as substances. Even though the past lover, “Juliet” was not treating him well during the relationship, he still wants her back.
I really like this song, it kind of makes me want to go lay on the grass outside and look at the stars while I listen to it. Even though the lyrics are a bit depressing, the beat and Sadeyes’ vocals give it a relaxing vibe— his vocals have a softness to them. It just makes me want to look at the stars and yearn. I like how Kerr-Carpenter’s vocals start to get raspier towards the end of the song when the emotions start to get a lot more heightened.
The lyrics are pretty standard for almost any break up song, so it’s pretty easy to relate to. Overall, I think it’s a good breakup song to listen to.
Track 5: Useless (6/10)
“You’re the weight that’s pulling on my lungs”
“Useless” is highly different than not only any other song on the EP, but also his entire discography. It’s very aggressive with the guitar and beat, but also the screaming in parts of the song.
Kerr-Carpenter expresses his frustration with being taken advantage of continuously in his friendships. He feels as if he is being suffocated by all of the weight that feels from the toxic people in his life. He wants them to leave his life so he can feel better again. On the other hand he also feels frustrated with himself for letting it happen again and again.
This is definitely my least favorite on the EP. I do like how much emotion, power, and raspyness is put into the vocals though. I just didn’t care for the lyrics all that much— I don’t relate to them. Also, the song just sounds messy to me. The messiness does fit the vibe of how messy the situation the song’s describing though.
The song just isn’t really for me, but I did really like it when I first listened to it. I just rarely ever do that now.
Track 6: Shadow (10/10)
“I got disorders and folders inside of me, tucked”
“Shadow” is a more extreme extension of “By The Creek.” It goes more into detail about mental health struggles and substance abuse. It fits the symptom description of schizophrenia or a psychotic break. There are a lot of lines about seeing shadows around corners, and in the house. Kerr-Carpenter also goes on a bit of rant, venting about life and all of his struggles. He feels like he’s only alive when he’s doing drugs.
I think the song does a really good job at highlighting mental health struggles. I like vocals in this song a lot— he does a good job at shifting his tone and cadence. I also like how breathy it is, it adds to the crisis message of the song. I feel like the vocals massage some area of my brain, and I just love listening to them.
The lyrics describe mental health struggles really well too, since Kerr-Carpenter is speaking from his own experience like in any other song he does. It describes the struggle of finding healthy coping mechanisms, frustration with not being understood and feeling like an outsider, hence the EP title.
Track 7: Flatline (10/10)
“Hyperactive like a kid without the Ritalin”
“Flatline” is another song about Kerr-Carpenter’s struggles with mental health. He wonders if anyone else feels the same way as him. He ruminates about these thoughts quite often. Slowly. Those same struggles start to impact his mental health more and more. Like he mentioned in “Shadow,” he uses drugs to feel alive again..
This is in my top three favorite tracks on this EP. It’s a very lowkey song compared to some of the others on the EP. His voice is a lot monotone compared to the others, which fits the theme of the song. I think the song is a bit funny to listen to, because of the slight rambling. Overall, I like the lyrics, and I think the vocals fit the vibe of the song.
Track 8: Naked (10/10)
“Loving you was deeper than just taking off my belt”
“Naked” continues the heartbreak theme of the EP. Kerr-Carpenter is using naked as a metaphor for being vulnerable and taken advantage of. He’s expressing his sadness and disappointment after finding out he was being cheated on. It makes him question his own self worth, and he struggles to find any source of happiness without his now ex-partner. Substance abuse is also mentioned again as a way of him coping with the situation.
This is definitely my second favorite song on the EP. I like how the beat matches the vibe of the song. “Driftin’ in the water, I’m floating/You left me for dead, unloading” matches the vibe of the beat so well. I think the lyricism is super well-written. It does a good job at describing unpacking a situation in your brain and processing your emotions about it. Also, it just encapsulates the experience of self-doubt as a result of cheating excellently.
Track 9: Lost Boy ft. St. Silver (7/10)
“I think the world of you”
“Lost Boy” is a short outro to the EP, which is somewhat similar to the intro. It’s a really simple song and it honestly could’ve been a commentary like the intro was. The song’s basically a summary of the heartache he has expressed in the EP. He feels sorrowful about the relationship he has lost, and now feels as if he has even lost himself too. He wants his ex-partner back, but also wants to be good enough like them.
Since it’s such a short song, I don’t have too much to say about it. Even though half of the song is repetitive, I like it. I think it does a good job at repeating the theme very well. It fades out quietly, because he feels like he’s not being seen or heard. I like the shakiness and softness of Kerr-Carpenter’s throughout it, too.
I think St. Silver’s pair very well as backup vocals in a sense. I only gave it a lower score because it’s such a short song, there’s not a lot of words, and it gets boring to listen to after a bit.
Final Thoughts
It’s been forever since I’ve listened to this EP as one whole, and I didn’t realize how comprehensive it was. Yes, I knew that heartbreak, substance abuse, and mental health were the main topics, but I guess I never realized how much they intertwined it into the songs. It also made me realize how well the tracks were structured and listed They built off of each other’s themes and lyrics. Production on the album is amazing. Lyricsyrics were metaphorical, yet still easy to understand. also pretty good. After giving it a full listen, I can definitely still say this is my favorite Guardin project.