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Photo: Muriel Margaret 

Serving whimsical pop earworms on a hefty lyrical platter, 23-year-old artist Harriette is a candid refreshment for the indie scene. With her debut EP i heart the internet, she navigates big concepts through breezy arrangements, leading listeners through tales of the chronically online, hometown politics, and some imaginative looks at love.

“I Heart the Internet” is a lighthearted take on a hard-hitting topic—the dissonance of who we are versus who we pretend to be. She juxtaposes playfulness alongside vulnerability, weaving deeply personal lyrics in a carefree tone, much like many pose online. A sung pseudo-ringtone acts as Harriette’s hook, immediately paired with the aching lines, “The things I call my own / I never found em from my own home. But if I knew how to make my bed / I wouldn’t sleep so close to the edge...”

Next, we’re twirled down a path of bluegrass-folk-pop-fusion in “Johnny Got It Right,” another mischievous angle on love as Harriette nods to Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Fan-favored single, “Fucking Married,” follows as the perfect Harriette-style sampler of bitter and sweet. The lilting background vocals smile and sway over the arrangement—nearly, almost convincing me of its innocence—while the brazen bass line winks at the biting lyrical tone. This is the Harriette effect: a syrupy sonic palette that packs a profound aftertaste, deliciously contrasting one another.

The title says it all in “Lying Is Cute,” a stream-of-consciousness confessional that wavers between delusion and reality. It’s a little Ethel Cain-core in its cinematic arrangement, following an emotional timeline rather than a pop structure. Harriette loses her cool on “I’ll wait for you... I’ll deny it just for you,” then narrows back into a false sense of calm, spiraling through repetitions of “I’ll deny it till its true, I’ll deny it till it’s you...”

“Black and Blue” sounds just like its lyrical pondering, thinking its way through curious synth lines and absent-minded percussion. It’s easy listening by an over-thinker, both light in sound and hefty in content. Meanwhile, “bc i love you” dares you to “own it,” to lay it all out on the line. The intensifying melody begs and pleads over the sunny yet driving strum of the guitars. As the lyrics reveal more and more of this story, a desperation creeps into the momentum, shifting the weight of the liveliness. Harriette mourns, “What happened to us / We were just having fun / Was it because I love you?”

I can’t say I’ve ever heard a hometown dedication like “Goodbye Texas.” It’s equally loving and critical, spinning a coy Southern charm on its sincere jabs. Harriette’s brutality is endearing, pushing the boundaries of what a love song can look like. Finally, “Sunday” closes out i heart the internet with a lullaby of sorts, waltzing through light guitar picking and casual discussions of personal faith.

Ever genuine, with a smirking edge of playfulness, Harriette provides a fresh sound to indie pop, fusing Texan influences with her hooky melodies and delightfully biting lyrics.

Listen to i heart the internet below: