It’s back to school time. Back to pencils, back to books. Desks neatly lined up in rows, occupied by fresh-faced, anxious, eager students. Ready to learn the lessons their teachers have prepared and the unexpected lessons life will throw at them.
Performing together as Moscow Apartment, Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla flip the student/teacher archetype on its head. Padilla and Fry are A+ pupils, schooled in the fine musical arts: luscious harmonies; clever songwriting; instinctive arrangements. Their bios’ extensive list of accomplishments would be impressive at any age, let alone for musicians who are both under 16 years old. With “Annie”, from Moscow Apartment’s forthcoming debut EP, the young duo teach their adult contemporaries how to tackle serious lyrical issues with subtlety and tact for maximum impact.
“Annie” is an empowering statement dealing head-on with unrealistic body image expectations and the pressures many people feel to meet the impossible physical standards imposed by the media. Through seamlessly blended harmonies, Fry and Padilla assert their agency and subvert the message: you are worthwhile just the way you are. It’s a lesson many adults spend their lives learning and relearning. Moscow Apartment’s candor and directness, coupled with their impressive musical chops, is a sign that these kids are ready to graduate to the big time.
