Gatlin's 'Sugarcoated' Ep Is Total Ear Candy

GATLIN ON HER NEW EP, SUGARCOATED. 

Gatlin’s Sugarcoated EP is not only total ear candy, but it is also quite honest. Written and released as it was made, each song off the project serves as a snapshot of the past eight months for the indie pop artist. From songs that make you dance like “never been in love” to heartfelt ballads like “Grown,” Sugarcoated has it all, and is the perfect collection of songs to add to all of your end of summer playlists. I got the chance to speak with Gatlin about the EP and you can read our interview below. 

THIS IS SO EXCITING! YOUR SUGARCOATED EP IS OUT. HOW ARE YOU FEELING HEADING INTO THIS RELEASE? 

I am really psyched. I’ve just been doing singles and this is my first project. It feels like I finished a book or am turning in a final exam. It’s also exciting because it means I get to start writing for something else. Sugarcoated is about the past eight months of my life. It feels good to say, “This is it,” and now I’m going to begin my next chapter. Even though I feel like I should be nervous heading into the release, I’m really excited and ready for it to be out. 

THE FIRST SINGLE OFF THE PROJECT CAME OUT BACK IN DECEMBER. SINCE THEN, YOU’VE PUT THE EP OUT SONG BY SONG. WHAT MADE YOU TO DECIDE TO RELEASE IN PHASES? 

I wrote it in phases. I did it a song at a time. If I wrote a song I was excited about, I would record it, release it, and then I’d move on to the next one. I wanted it to move linearly with how my life was looking.

THE EP STARTED WITH “TALKING TO MYSELF” AND IS NOW ENDING WITH “BEING ALONE” AND “GROWN.” WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BIGGEST CHANGE IS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND LAST TRACKS OF THE EP? 

Lyrically, there's a big difference. With “Talking to Myself,” I felt like I was catering to other people when I was writing it. I was thinking more about what would be relatable. I wanted to put out a fun song and have people feel good when they listened to it. With “Grown,” I was a little more selfish. I wrote it in ten minutes and it was definitely a song I wrote for me. I think as the EP progresses it gets more and more personal. 

HOW DID YOU LAND ON THE NAME SUGARCOATED?

I actually got it from my therapist. I was talking about how I felt like I always had to perform for people and sugarcoat my emotions. I’m so afraid I’m going to scare people if I get too deep, so I tend to try to be funny and light. I do that in everything, even with the closest people in my life. I realized that I did it with my music too. Having that realization, and then towards the end of the project not sugarcoating anything, is how the EP got its name. 

DID THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE YOU WERE WORKING ON THE PROJECT WITH ALSO DECREASE AS THE EP BECAME LESS “SUGARCOATED?” 

Yeah. “Talking to Myself” was a co-write and then “Grown” was a solo-write. 

THERE ARE SIX SONGS ON THE EP, BUT HOW MANY SONGS DID YOU WRITE WITH THE PROJECT IN MIND?

Probably around seventy, which is so crazy! 

HOW DID YOU KNOW THE EP WAS DONE? WHEN YOU WROTE “GROWN” DID YOU KNOW THAT WOULD BE THE LAST TRACK?

I didn’t. I was actually trying to write another song and have seven tracks on the EP. But then someone pointed out to me that seven songs is an album and not an EP, so I stuck with six and that was it. There wasn’t a moment. I wish there was though. That would have been cool. 

WHAT DO YOU HOPE LISTENERS TAKE AWAY FROM THE RELEASE? 

It’s been cool to see people react to the project as it’s come out. Because of quarantine, everything has been social media. I loved being at shows and interacting with people who like my music, but now, it’s been getting messages from people like, “I totally relate to this,” or “It feels like you were writing about my life.” It’s really crazy that I’ve been able to put into song form a feeling that other people relate to. That’s really impactful to me because I’ll get obsessed with a song and listen to it over and over again. When people say things like, “That was your song for me,” it’s the best feeling ever. So I hope people continue to relate to it.

GATLIN'S SUGARCOATED EP IS OUT NOW. YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT ON SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. GO STREAM IT AND  FOLLOW @GATLIN ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE RELEASES.