Nick Ward's coming of age EP pops with the present day apathy of existential anthem "FMF!"

The six-track collection isn't in chronological order of the events which have transpired to influence the Sydney-based artist, although its opening track "Overture" features audio from Ward's birth. Held together by a thread of acoustic guitar, the EP explores different palettes of emotions and sounds created with the intention it's listened to from start to finish, it's completed with seamless transitions as we get to know our protagonist through his individual stories.

Loneliness is one of the themes which Ward battles with on his quest to figure himself out. Writing songs and having people relate to them is just one of the ways he’s found to combat that feeling. On “FMF!”, which he describes as “the poppiest song on the project”, he creates a summary of 2020 and the emotional complexities which are sure to drag on into this year.

Written during lockdown, he channels his frustration with the mundanity of his day-to-day routine and a fight he’d had with a friend to create this existential look into his current psyche. Channelling some serious teen angst the lyric “it’s weird to think I’m gonna go to your funeral, or you’ll come to mine” really pinpoints the bigger picture Ward was imagining.

With its lilting acoustic guitar and sparkling percussion, despite its darker themes “FMF!” is uplifting in a sense that it offers space for Ward to vent. An introspective look a ‘bad day’ in the pandemic, by letting out this negativity the path is clear and the future less dim. An illuminating presence for all us weary travellers on the same journey.

Ward began his musical journey with the aspiration of being a guitarist. “Whenever I was in high school bands I was just the guitar player, I didn’t go near the microphone,” he admits. Content with not speaking about his feelings at the time, he realises now that having this outlet is important.

Growing up on a diet of ABBA, The Beatles, Metallica, Green Day and Megadeath, Ward’s taste is still diverse today. Despite a brief encounter with Alvin & The Chipmunks, much to his music teacher’s chagrin, Ward notes classic songwriting figures like Bruce Springsteen have shaped his sound too albeit subconsciously.

“A famous quote of [Springsteen’s] is ‘blues in the verse, gospel in the chorus’ and I guess I take that onto every song… You spill out your life’s story in the verses and then the chorus is the moment where everyone can come together.”

The EP drills down into Ward's own identity further looking to break down traditional ideas of masculinity, gender and sexuality as he has done as a teenager. Reflecting on his experience of coming out while at an all-boys high school tracks like "I Wanna Be Myself or Nothing At All" and "Holding The Man" go into great details, while the former is the emotional centrepiece of the EP, the latter offers a more hopeful window into those moments.

As it’s such a personal project, Ward is quick to tell me “I care more about people’s personal reaction to it than any statistical nonsense.” Remembering some of his favourite responses to last year’s singles, his Instagram inbox exploded with support as his lyrics have become more detailed.

“There’s literally kids saying this song feels like it’s has changed my life,” still coming to terms with the importance of music, he says “I can read that, but it stays at my eyeballs and it’s not going into my brain,” finding it difficult to comprehend that enormity through social media messages.

"It was important to me that the first line of the project and the last line is 'do you know who you are?' just to have a cyclical nature to it," he explains. "For a while, I thought 'I'm painting my nails, I know who I am', but to be hones tin five years I will change... It's one those questions you're not supposed to know the answer to."

Playing the EP live is something Ward hopes to do in the near future and the Australian pandemic response means that some socially distanced live shows and events can safely still go ahead. It’s in this environment he hopes he can bridge the gap between what he sees online and how he feels. "It's bucket list material," he adds "I never met someone in real life [who's had that connection ], I just see it online, so I don't know I'd react, probably not well."

On the closing track "Aubrey Plaza", Ward asks "I don't know what comes first, to know yourself or know your worth?" Even while you're still figuring out who you are - a process that can take a lifetime - you'll get to a point where you can reflect and acknowledge your own worth, not only what you mean to yourself, but what you mean to the other lives around you.

Ward's story is set to continue as he builds further bodies of work, and as he discovers further parts of himself. Deeply inspired by the work of boundary-breaking artists like Rina Sawayama and Jean Dawson, he wants to experiment with his sound free from the confines of genre. Lyrically, Ward says "after all this analysis and inwardness I still don't know who I am," so expect him to continue documenting personal revelations as he grows through song.