Ginesse is a true performer at heart. The actress, singer and songwriter, also known as Cait Fairbanks, is notorious for taking on various roles, but her new Somewhere to Die EP is all about stripped-down authenticity.

This debut EP features five brand new tracks that lay the artist's experiences bare. They're raw, emotional and provocative, making the listener feel almost as if they're peeking into someone's innermost thoughts, and every track is worth falling in love with.

These songs clearly come from the soul, and we had to learn more about them. We consider ourselves very lucky to have had the opportunity to ask Ginesse all about each one. Keep reading for her track-by-track breakdown of each fabulous song, and to find out her very favorite lyrics from every one.

1. 'LA Isn't Somewhere to Die'

Ginesse: Every song I write is from my own experience, but usually multiple experiences all squished into one. I had just ended a significant relationship in my life and I didn't know who to turn to. I was really dreading talking to anyone new. I just wanted to sleep all day and go to work. L.A. had become this place I resented. And then all of the sudden, I had this influx of new people in my life. They were interesting, kind, spontaneous and extremely supportive. This is a love song to the dope friends in my life.

I had the title before we wrote anything else. I had written "L.A. Isn't Somewhere to Die" in my notes several times. At first, we even wrote a different version of the song, but this was definitely the version we fell for. Once Matias Mora started playing the guitar featured in the song, my stomach flipped. It reminded me of all the blink-182 songs I was obsessed with. It feels like a song I would've listened to as an emo-internet kid.

Favorite lyric:  "If the valley became a sinkhole, I'd be happy to go down with you." I used to live in the Valley (in L.A.) and I hate to admit that the only thing that would bring me back there was a boy…

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Miranda)

 

2. 'All That I Wanted'

Ginesse: This song is about all the people I loved and was too afraid to say it to. I was so afraid of being rejected because I was already acting and getting rejected on the daily. There was one time I went to the movies with a guy I really liked and he asked to hold my hand. I just froze and said my hands were sweaty. I was so mad at myself the whole way home. I wanted to be loved so terribly but I just didn't know how to be myself. I wrote this song as a sort of exorcism. I feel as if every time we write a specific emotion down, our own self-judgment is able to go away a little bit.

The whole song came together in only a few hours. Matias was playing guitar and Mia Minichiello and I were talking about our adolescent embarrassments and we strung together the lyrics. It definitely felt as if a weight lifted when I heard the track at the end of the sessions.

Favorite lyric: "I'd rather die than go to our high school reunion." I will never go back, I refuse. Hell no!

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Miranda)

 

3. '4:2'

Ginesse: I wrote this after a really heavy breakup. I had been battling so hard internally because I cared about this person so much. I put so much energy into the relationship and ended up resenting it. Of course, he was oblivious to the fact because I never told him, and I had a lot of guilt for falling out of love with him. This person was so special to me and still is. I just wasn't in a place to give myself securely to someone else and I was constantly punishing myself for not being enough.

The melody and sounds came first. I think the first line is the most important part of a song. I kept thinking of myself as the bad guy in the relationship and, through the lyrics, I wanted to present myself as I saw myself. I was purposely inflicting pain on myself because I thought I deserved it. I think that artists who always perceive themselves as the victim in the narrative are, frankly, liars. I can admit that I wasn't the hero in this situation and I wanted to make sure that came across.

Favorite lyric: "Standing still in traffic, apathetic habits that only I can see." For me, there's often a moment in relationships where the light just turns off. It can be an insignificant moment, but it can be something they say or do that makes it impossible for me to see them the same. I end up hyperfocusing on these moments and lose sight of the amazing things in the relationship.

 

4. "Dirtybird"

Ginesse:  This is definitely the sexiest track! I have a very comfortable relationship with intimacy, and I've luckily had great partners who care how I feel. This song is about fantasy and tension, like seeing a hot guy on a train and making eye contact…

Matias had just got a beautiful new piano and he started playing a few chords, and the song started to come together from there. We finished the song in a couple of hours and I couldn't stop playing it over and over while on my way home. It's my mom's favorite single, which makes me feel super strange, but I'll take it!

Favorite lyric: I really love the title! It's based off of a character in Stephen King's Misery, Annie Wilkes. She uses the term "dirtybird," and it's always stuck with me.

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Miranda)

 

5. 'White Denim'

Ginesse:  While we were in a session, this guy I had gone out with a few times sent me a message. I had a crazy flashback to crying over him, which feels embarrassing now. He's a totally fine and nice person, but also kind of a jerk. I decided I wanted to write about my experience with him in a fun and harmless way. We all overreact and obsess when we have a crush on something and it can be healing to look back at what I used to do and laugh at myself!

The guitar came first. Guitar was the first instrument I ever learned to play, so it has a special place in my heart. We wanted it to feel like a moody, nostalgic pop anthem. The title actually comes from something he sent in a direct message to me!

Favorite lyric: "You'd probably get off to me crying for you, not really sure if I'm supposed to." I had this image of him listening to the song and enjoying it and it just made me laugh. I was so embarrassed that I had invested in him enough to cry. I realize, looking back, that I always knew he was just someone passing through my life. My body definitely knew before my mind did.

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Miranda)

 

You can listen to the whole EP HERE on Spotify, or HERE on Apple Music.

 

Need something new to listen to? Click HERE to listen to our favorite music releases of last week.