girl in red has capped off a period of change in her life with the indie-pop breakup EP 'BLUE'. The solo project of Norwegian singer Marie Ulven, four new songs capture her emotional journey through the ending of a previous romantic relationship, and her personal struggles and development since.
This is a long-awaited comeback. 'BLUE' marks the first music released since June 2025's single 'Hemingway', and the first multi-song project since 'I'M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!' in 2024. Fans' anticipation was made all the more real by a series of online teasers, culminating in a name change on social media from @girlinred to @girlinblue.
Alongside such a dramatic personal rebrand, Ulven loses a little of her identity as a songwriter. Her highly specific and unmistakably queer lyricism on the likes of 'girls' and 'we fell in love in october' is almost nowhere to be seen here. Each song feels a little nondescript, as if it could be about any artist's breakup, a far cry from the intimacy of girl in red's previous work. Some standout confessional lyrical moments still shine through, though, most notably the EP's opening line: "I can tell time has passed / By the wash of your denim".
The first track, 'blue', was released as a single two weeks before the full EP, with an accompanying music video shot in Ulvens' native Oslo. It documents the changes in personality between both girl in red and her ex-lover, and how the two drift apart in step. The muffled piano and vocals in the introduction immediately reflect how distant she feels, building into acoustic guitars that feel ready to bubble over with emotion. She is then "met with [her] actions" in the introspective pop tune 'missing person'. Here, girl in red questions her own actions that may have caused the relationship to fail, in what musically feels like a twin song to 'blue'.
'worst case' follows in a sharp sonic departure from the rest of the EP, with a remarkably short runtime (about a minute and a half!). The intricate fingerstyle guitar and Ulven's almost whispered vocal delivery land firmly in the modern folk world, and would not sound out of place in the catalogues of Lizzy McAlpine or boygenuis. The subject matter also pivots from past relationships to future ones, and relearning vulnerability in order to let romance back into your life ("I won't be whole, until I find it / I swear"). These lyrics only make the new sound of 'worst case' more apt; just as though girl in red's whole musical existence is somehow tied to the first-hand experiences she recounts.
'clean slate', the EP's final track, perfectly exemplifies both Ulven's growth as a musician and as a person, and the intrinsic link between the two. The acceptance that things have changed over dreamy guitars and four-on-the-floor drums fulfils the narrative arc girl in red has created, and once again shows off her bedroom pop sensibilities. You cannot help but root for girl in red, almost as if she is a character in a novel, and eagerly await whatever this new chapter in 'blue' entails.
Charlotte Norton
Image: 'BLUE' Official EP Cover