Canadian singer/songwriter Lucette goes track-by-track through her smoldering, soul-baring EP ‘Nice Girl From the Suburbs’ — six “self-deprecating anthems” that delve into the beauty and brutality of feeling everything, from heartbreak and imposter syndrome to emotional turmoil, growth, and grace.
Stream: “Back in the Blue” – Lucette ft. Mariel Buckley
What does it mean to be a nice girl from the suburbs?
Maybe she’s well-mannered and soft-spoken, raised on cul-de-sacs and backyard barbecues, church on Sundays and summers at the lake. Maybe she says please and thank you, gets good grades, and doesn’t ruffle too many feathers. But what if she also screams into the void sometimes? What if she self-sabotages, messes up, lies awake at night wondering if she’s too much or not enough? Maybe she drinks too much wine on a Tuesday. Maybe she writes heartbreak songs she’s too scared to share. Maybe she’s all those things. Or none of them. Maybe both can be true at the same time.
Lucette’s latest EP Nice Girl From The Suburbs finds the Canadian singer/songwriter (née Lauren Gillis) diving deep into vulnerability, self-reflection, and emotional reckoning. Produced by Søren Hansen (of New Politics), it’s a record born from pain and uncertainty, yet pulsing with the quiet strength of self-awareness and hard-earned growth. A blend of confessional songwriting and self-deprecating humor, the EP is as much a homecoming as it is a reinvention — a reintroduction to an artist who’s lived, learned, and now dares to tell it like it is. Coming five years after her sophomore album Deluxe Hotel Room, this new chapter trades polished sorrow for raw honesty, as Lucette processes everything from injury and isolation to imposter syndrome and falling in love again.
The result is a body of work that’s unfiltered and deeply personal — six songs that meet messy feelings head-on, without trying to clean them up or wrap them in metaphor. Instead, Lucette embraces the chaos, wielding her voice like a balm and a blade.
“I think I felt really lost after the release of Deluxe Hotel Room,” she tells Atwood Magazine, reflecting on the EP’s origin story. “It was only out for 10 months before the pandemic, and it felt like it didn’t have enough time to breathe as a record. I was already working on the next project in 2020, with plans to make a record in 2021. I suffered an injury that forced me to redirect my plans and write a lot of songs that felt more vulnerable.”
“I think Nice Girl was born out of a place of feeling very lost, abandoned, and self-loathing. It took me a long time to start to feel okay about myself again and this EP represents that journey. It’s really about me being honest with myself. And I found love! So I got to throw in a fun little love number too.”
That journey unfolded in unexpected ways. “I don’t know if I believe in divine timing, but I do believe in following vibes,” she says. “I had a full album already in the can, with a very different vision, but it wasn’t sitting right with me. I met Soren Hansen in November of 2023 and we just got each other. It had been a minute since I’d collaborated with someone in this way. We quickly became good friends, wrote more material together, and decided to record them. It felt like the vision for this EP was an evolving process that met me exactly where I was at the time, yet also an amalgamation of the last five years. It feels like the most accurate version of where I’m at, and where I’ve been.”
In that sense, Nice Girl From The Suburbs doesn’t just document Lucette’s transformation – it enacts it.
“I think every project I’ve made has been an expansion on the last one,” she says. “I feel like albums capture a moment in time, and this definitely represents where I’ve been since DHR. I know I’ve grown as a person and as a writer, and I feel like Nice Girl represents that growth. I’ve never felt more collaborative in a studio environment, so I feel like the listener is getting more of who I am in the sound compared to previous records. It also is far more vulnerable than a lot of my previous writing, so if anything, this reintroduction allows people to get to know me a little more intimately.”
Lucette candidly describes Nice Girl From The Suburbs as a collection of “self-deprecating anthems” – songs that bare their bruises, embrace the mess, and dance through the damage. The title, she explains, is her way of poking fun at herself — and interrogating the very image it suggests. “I think of my upbringing and where I’m at now and laugh a bit,” she says. “I have an amazing family, and had a great childhood, but I also have had all of the issues. I by no means feel like I’m a victim, but my experiences have caused me a lot of pain, and a lot of that pain has been because of my own doing. I’ll be the first to admit that. I think I wanted the title to conjure up an image, and show that I am that image in some ways, but also the complete opposite.”
The EP kicks off with “Too Soon for Sorry,” a haunting late-night confession wrapped in a haze of longing and self-destruction – as well as a soulful blend of ’90s dream pop, alternative rock, and Americana. With melancholic melodies and aching lyricism, Lucette captures the heavy weight of unresolved emotions – the kind that hit hardest in the quiet hours before dawn – crafting a deeply personal yet universally relatable story of missed chances and lingering ghosts. Atwood Magazine had the honor of premiering the track this past February, declaring it a “smoky, soulful fever dream.”
“‘Too Soon for Sorry’ is a classic tale of undervaluing someone while you have them,” Lucette explains. “It’s about wanting them even more in the aftermath of a breakup. Hearing their name through casual acquaintances, over cigarettes outside of the bar, and wishing they were there instead of hearing how they’re doing from a stranger… It’s about admitting when you’re the problem in a breakup, wishing you could fix it, but knowing it’s too soon to heal that wound, and too soon for sorrys.”
From there, the EP plunges deeper into vulnerability and self-confrontation, all while keeping its energy and emotional tension intact.
“Back in the Blue” smolders with bluesy seduction, co-written with Mariel Buckley and born from the haze of post-surgery pain — a slow-burning reckoning with physical limitations and the emotional unraveling that follows. “True Devotion” brings a welcome breath of fresh air through a burst of buoyant warmth — groovy and intoxicating, it revels in the dizzying early days of falling for someone new, mirroring the giddy sweetness of new love through an irresistible singalong chorus.
“Heading for the End” leans into catastrophic thinking with a sinister softness, its outlaw country-rock grit underscoring Lucette’s awareness of her own self-sabotage, and the maddening futility of well-meaning advice when you’re already in a dark place. “Rodeo Clown” is a cathartic, enchanting ballad rich in harmony and raw emotion, capturing the crushing weight of imposter syndrome and the quiet heartbreak of trying and failing to believe you’re enough. Lucette employs the metaphor of a failed bronc rider turned entertainer to explore what it means to work tirelessly and still feel like a joke. And finally, “Wasted Monday” closes the record in an emotionally charged fog of burnout and paralysis as Lucette captures familiar cycles of overthinking, self-inflicted disappointment, and the slow, stumbling path toward self-forgiveness.
Lucette doesn’t have just one favorite; all six tracks on Nice Girl From The Suburbs carry their own personal weight and meaning. “Each song represents something different for me, and I’m proud of each moment on this record,” she says — but when it comes to lyrics, one track stands out. “‘Rodeo Clown’ is my favorite song lyrically,” she shares. “‘I had my shots, had my chances, never made it seven seconds, I regret it, I really do.’ I was trying to capture what it feels like to try over and over, but never progress. The seven seconds represents failure. Not even close to winning, getting past eight seconds. It feels desperate and sad, and sometimes, that’s what being an artist feels like.”
Through bruised honesty, wry humor, and a fearless embrace of emotional complexity, Nice Girl From The Suburbs reintroduces Lucette not just as a singer or songwriter, but as a storyteller unafraid to show every crack and contradiction. It’s a record that laughs through the wreckage, mourns what could’ve been, and finds comfort in small, hard-won truths. Whether she’s spiraling in self-doubt, falling in love, or simply trying to make it through a wasted Monday, Lucette invites listeners into the mess with her – not to solve it, but to sit in it, and maybe even feel a little less alone.
“I hope people feel seen,” Lucette shares. “I know I have big messy feelings, and sometimes it feels like we have to dumb those down in order to get by. I want people who sometimes go to dark places in their minds to feel heard, not alone, and supported by these tunes.”
“I think everyone can feel like an imposter, whether you’re an artist or not. I guess I just hope that a lost soul can find these songs relatable, and know that there’s hope in not feeling isolated in those moments. I feel what I’ve taken away from this project is that when you’re proud of the art, the outcome doesn’t matter. It just feels good.”
And that’s the quiet power of Nice Girl From the Suburbs: it doesn’t promise resolution, but it offers recognition. In embracing the contradictions, Lucette gives space for all of it — the ache, the humor, the healing, and the hope – and reminds us that being a work in progress is more than enough.
Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Lucette’s Nice Girl From the Suburbs EP with Atwood Magazine as she takes us track-by-track through the music and lyrics of her latest release!
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:: stream/purchase Nice Girl From the Suburbs here ::
:: connect with Lucette here ::
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Stream: ‘Nice Girl From the Suburbs’ – Lucette
:: Inside Nice Girl From the Suburbs ::
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Too Soon for Sorry
“Too Soon for Sorry” about that yearning feeling after a breakup when you’re going through everything you could’ve done to make it better, and realizing that in some regard, you were to blame for the relationship’s demise. I think because I am from a smaller city, it especially feels like after a relationship, you can’t escape it since you end up hearing about the person whenever you’re out. It feels like you can’t go to the same places you used to without thinking about all of the times you spent with your ex there. East Nashville felt that way to me too, and Tim Bruns (my co-writer), got that message as well. The hazy, smoky nights spent at dive bars, and all you want is for your person to be there with you, instead of hearing their name from a conversation across the bar.
Back in the Blue
I wrote this song three weeks after having surgery on my leg, so I was physically in a lot of pain, but I felt that mentally too. I was on heavy pain meds, not sleeping at all, and because of the limited mobility, I also felt trapped in my mind a bit. I reflected a lot on my life and in some ways, this injury helped me find the confidence to let go of limiting belief systems for once and for all, and that theme is carried throughout the tune. It’s also about recognizing there’s grace in accepting that sometimes life throws you a lemon and you really just don’t feel like making lemonade.
True Devotion
This song is about that dizzying feeling of falling for someone. You feel on top of the world and hopeful, in a neurotic way at the same time. The beginning of a relationship is such a fun whirlwind of a time and I wanted to capture that feeling! You almost become cheesy in a way when you’re at the stage. I was reminiscing about those feelings when I first started dating my partner and almost laughed a bit. We’re so happy now too but I remember that topsy-turvy feeling of falling in love again, and it made me so happy to write about it.
Heading for the End
This song was the first song I co-wrote with Soren Hansen and it really sparked the journey for the EP. Instead of being a victim, I wanted to recognize that some of my darker moments are self-induced. It’s about how easy it is to run with catastrophic thinking when you’re already in a dark place. I also feel like when I’m in a rut, the last thing I want is for someone to give me simple answers on how to get out of it. Even if they’re right, it’s the last thing you feel like hearing at that moment.
Rodeo Clown
I think especially nowadays, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison. We’re bombarded with updates on everyone else’s lives, and it’s hard not to feel like an imposter. I definitely feel like I’ve robbed myself of joy by thinking this way, but I also feel like it’s hard to celebrate when you feel like a fraud. This song is my way of explaining that even though I’ve worked my ass off, I still feel lesser than sometimes. I thought of a scenario where a cowboy put in so much work to be a bronc rider, but never got past 7 seconds, and was relegated to the court jester role instead. Getting laughs instead of approval.
Wasted Monday
This song is for anyone who gets debilitated by stress and instead of chipping away at tasks, they waste a day by anxiety-induced paralysis. It’s also for anyone who goes too hard and then suffers the consequences of it by throwing productivity to the wind. The worst part of it is when you realize you haven’t learned from your past and repeat the same patterns. Similar to heading for the end, it’s about feeling dark and lost, but putting yourself there.
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:: stream/purchase Nice Girl From the Suburbs here ::
:: connect with Lucette here ::
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Stream: “Too Soon for Sorry” – Lucette
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© Sebestian Buzzalinoa
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