Kevian Kraemer, an 18-year-old from Asbury Park, New Jersey, rose to fame for his astounding musical capabilities with the help of Jon Leidersdorff as his mentor. He started gaining traction on TikTok as he turned his snippets into finished songs, then published them on the social media platform to gain a following. Finally, after a long wait and many teasers on Instagram and TikTok, Kraemer released his first EP, “Seventeen,” which has six songs, on March 29, 2024.
Track list opener, “Attention,” perfectly resembles that of the beginning of summer. It’s got a beachy vibe — one that you can run to. “Attention” starts with a chord progression strummed on the guitar that immediately sets the tone and emotion behind it: Light-hearted and upbeat. With a catchy introduction, his lyrics will pull first-time listeners in like a magnet.
“I’ll tell you once, but not again / You touch me like you love me / But you’re telling people we’re just friends”
This idea of the modern “talking stage” warrants uncertainty and confusion, as Kraemer sings. Yet despite this stressful, typically temporary situation in looking for a long-lasting relationship, the company that they bring becomes addicting.
“I never craved attention / Until I tasted some of yours / We go back and forth and I’m losing hope / You love me when you’re lonely”
Kraemer is criticizing modern romance and its tendency to be unconventional. According to the Cosmopolitan, this “talking stage is intentionally ambiguous, often emotionally exhausting, and, sorry, no one is safe from it.” Avoiding something that may or may not develop into something bigger is reasonable, but acting as if someone doesn’t exist, as Kraemer mentions, is not.
A bit like “4runner” by Brenn! and incredibly similar-sounding to “You Know It” by Colony House, “Attention” will undoubtedly get your blood pumping and feels like the wind blowing through your hairs in a fast-moving car.
The third song, “Restart,” reinforces the fast-paced tempo with its instrumental backing-track of an electric guitar and a solid drumbeat. The energy, however, is tricking listeners into thinking it’s going to be lighthearted, while the words outrightly juxtapose the upbeatness.
“Cause spending all day in your bed / Has taught me a very important lesson / It’s so so hard to love when it feels just like a gun / Held to your chest”
Kraemer sings not of how love can be toxic, but of how love is poisonous. Maybe, just maybe, if he was in love with someone else, it wouldn’t feel “just like a gun,” as he puts it. Finding the right person is difficult, I’m sure Kraemer knows this well, but there’s a reason why the right person is called the “right” person.
A gentle alternation from the liveliness in Kraemer’s other songs is found in the fourth track, “June Is Getting Old.” Played by an addicting melody between the candied relationship between his guitar and voice, “June Is Getting Old” is all about coping with heartbreak and leaving someone you once loved. Solemn but sweet is the perfect way to describe this song. In the acoustics, you might find yourself drifting off to sleep or feeling like you’re soaring on a cloud.
“One more memory / One last thing to mourn / If fall was laughing / June is getting old”
Kraemer sings in such a way that makes you feel exactly what he feels. The crescendos and decrescendos of his guitar ascend and descend alongside the strength and emotion in his voice, illuminating that he’s truly singing from the heart. “June Is Getting Old” sounds exactly as it seems: Wistful.
We’re so scared of not doing something the right way, but stumbling through life and figuring it out is really the only way to do it. Right or wrong, method is not what matters, but purpose is. The tracklist finale is all about living your teenage years as a teenager and nothing else. Living life as if it’s the first time is a surreal concept, but it’s the only way to go about it. Kraemer sings,
“Heartbreak and mistakes and who’s fucking who / We say a lot, but honestly, we don’t have a clue / About what’s important / So we just ignore it / ‘Cause I don’t know what’s important, so we just ignore it”
A perfect ending to the EP named “Seventeen,” “Teenagers” is a lyrical explanation of what modern adolescence is: A time to bend the rules and experiment.
As a new, yet incredibly talented alternative-indie-pop artist, Kraemer has already gained 134.4k listeners on Spotify. With his maturing voice and his finely tuned guitar skills, he’ll blow away the crowd with his next songs. If you’re a fan of Colony House, Cage The Elephant or Declan McKenna, you might be a fan of Kevian Kraemer, too!
Rating: 3/5