Looking for a few new songs to add to your playlist? Well if you’re a fan of pop music with a hint of sadness, then you should most definitely give Joshua Bassett’s ep, Sad Songs In A Hotel Room a shot. His ep consists of 6 tracks “from a different episode in a very dark time in my life,” Bassett stated in an interview with Billboard. It has only been out for a couple of days, but the ep has already surpassed 5 million streams!

This is the High School Musical: The Musical series stars’ second album and personally, this one was my favorite. There was something more authentic and trusting with this ep that I felt compared to other albums or songs I typically hear; it was like getting a glimpse into the hardest part of his life and being let into something that most famous people try to cover up. He stated in an interview that he wanted to show people that if he can make it out okay after everything that has happened to him publicly, they can too.

One of his songs on the ep that describes his hardships is track number 5, Lifeline. Lifeline is about his hospitalization in January 2021 when he experienced septic shock and heart failure all while going through the lowest point in his life. This song is basically a letter to his mom showing his gratitude for her always being there and essentially being his lifeline. This song is one of my favorites because of his courage to talk about something that is a really important part of his life and for him to be so vulnerable and open with this topic. Even in the beginning of his music video, he uses actual audio from his mom while he was in the hospital.

The ep as a whole was a mix of pop songs with three tracks that give listeners insight into his life during early 2021. Even his songs that didn’t 100 percent revolve around this period were still personal and they brought up other situations that people can relate to. I personally loved the diversity of the sounds between the songs because although the songs revolved around similar topics, they all had different tunes to them. If you’re the kind of person to base whether or not they like a song based on one part of the song I will forever recommend listening to the bridge, they are my favorite parts of his songs.

My only thought is that I wish this were a whole album but I think it’s perfect for anyone who likes to listen to artists such as Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Ross Lynch. Trying to forget the past, but now everything is so noticeably different? Sad Songs In A Hotel Room. Feeling suffocated in your own home or town? LA. Feeling down and don’t think you’ll recover? All In Due Time. This ep has something for everyone and I hope everyone gives it a listen.