After reshaping their sound back in July of this year, Victoria Draovitch and Steve Grzenda have been working towards their debut EP as a duo. SELF IMPROVEMENT is the reflective, raw and introspective fruit of their labour. Each individual track on the EP charts a different struggle with mental health, that both members of the band have suffered from.

The closing track of the EP, “BETTER,” was penned as a cathartic final track. Drauve wanted to end to this project with the question “What’s it gonna take to make it all better?”. Whilst they acknowledge that this may not be a “typically positive” way to conclude, the moody track is delicately beautiful.

With the aim to “support listeners who may be struggling alone”, “BETTER” is moody yet oddly uplifting in its frank honesty. It explores the feelings of hopelessness and exhaustion that oftentimes go hand in hand with battling mental health issues. Filled with rhetorical questions that only Victoria and Steve themselves can answer, it’s self-aware and philosophical whilst retaining a universal appeal; these are thoughts that we have all ruminated over in hard times.

Victoria Draovitch’s voice lends itself perfectly to the guitar-led backdrop. Light synths are scattered throughout the despondent soundscape, creating a brevity amongst the darkness of these circulating questions. Yes, we were craving for something more fun to conclude this catastrophic year but “BETTER” is the actual catharsis we were all needing.