Sylo demonstrates a knack for smooth, seamless ballad writing on his debut EP blanket

blanket, in many ways, feels just like its title. Many of the EP’s most memorable moments find Sylo’s vocals riding atop acoustic instrumentals and minimalistic drums, the combination of the three creating a stark, comforting warmth. The first three tracks on the EP all encapsulate this warm feeling; it is the sound where Sylo seems the most comfortable, and where his songwriting is most successful. “Ginny” – previously released as a single back in 2020 – is where Sylo diverts from this formula the most; it is also the most underwhelming moment on blanket.

The sonic strength of blanket does not distract from its creator’s songwriting – thankfully so. Sylo’s writing draws clear inspiration from folk melodies, with the added flare of lyrics grounded in the familiar world, such as on “AIR”: “Out to CVS gone nightly / I need some reassembly / Need a rush to save me / to feel steady.”

The EP’s opener, “Millions,” is a standout and earworm that hides small, darker suggestions within Sylo’s croons; the singer mentions both morphine (“Melt into myself / Like it’s some morphine / I want my brain to get / A little tongue tied”) and codeine (“Wrap me up some bacon / with some codeine / I wanna taste the bittersweet of life”) metaphorically, while introducing a subtle tension in the track’s chorus: “I’ll get high on these feelings / die for these feelings.”

“Millions” isn’t the only track with such this quiet darkness, subtly impressed in Sylo’s words. In fact, it’s a commonality across blanket. It can be found on “Drop a Pin” with “Watching the walls / around us collapsing / breathe in the smoke / it’s like melatonin,” and on “Dngrs Interlude” as he sings “Do I wanna kill / kill for your love? / Would I do it for the rush? / You make me think Dangerous thoughts.”

The closer one listens to this record, Sylo’s blanket sounds less warm and comforting, and more smothering. Sylo hints at this, suggesting he desires to conceal his feelings on “AIR” – “Tryna make the heart grow daisies / can you feel them blooming out / wish I could cover it with cloths of paisleys / so that no one would find me out.” On the album closer, “What’s Left,” the layers are finally pulled back in a fitting, cyclical surrender: “Better dreams / Bitter loss / Better in due time / That’s just the way it goes.”