New York native Kaylan Rexer comes by music honestly—not because she was born into a family of musicians per se, but rather because she was born into a family of audiophiles. Her grandfather was a booking agent for acts like Cab Calloway and Sammy Davis Jr. back in the day and her parents often took Rexer and her younger sister to music festivals as children. So does that sort of upbringing a musician make?
The jury’s still out. It’s not that Rexer is without talent—she’s a capable guitar player with a passable voice. It’s just that she’s—well, young—and hasn’t developed a strong musical identity that will differentiate her from the thousands of other guitar-wielding singer-songwriters out there. As a lyricist, Rexer could stand to grow a little more. On the simple acoustic melody “Same Fight,” she sings, “You don’t take me seriously / You think it’s sweet, but do you see the potential in me?” She reverses the sentiment on “I Think It’s Sweet,” saying “I think it’s sweet you think all your dreams are gonna come true.” Sweet or not, the writing leaves a bad taste.
Most of Rexer’s songs feature acoustic strumming and gauzy, multi-tracked vocals that showcase a fondness for adding extra syllables into words. On some songs the songwriter incorporates a full band, like in her catchiest melody, the up-tempo “Was It What You Wanted?” (Or, as Rexer sings it, “Was it what you wa-han-ted?”)
Was it what we wanted? Well, uh, not exactly … but we think it’s sweet.
