Taylor Janzen | Fall Film Festivals | The Way We Were | The Only Girl: My Life and Times on the Masthead of Rolling Stone

IN RECENT YEARS, DISCUSSION SURROUNDING MENTAL ILLNESS in the music industry has risen in both prevalence and necessity. Taylor Janzen, a 19-year-old Winnipeg native, adds her voice with the release of Interpersonal. The four-song EP hears the singer-songwriter evocatively peel back her layers to reveal starkly raw musings on mental health, Christianity and the trials of growing up.

Despite swelling with melancholy, Interpersonal never wallows in its sadness. Instead, Janzen transforms her most painful moments into tidbits of solace. Anchored by her tender vocals and the simple yet strong strum of a guitar, each track articulates the budding talent’s confessions in a way that is both introspective and relatable.

Recorded at Janzen’s friend’s house in the dead of a Canadian winter, Interpersonal found its way into the hands of legendary mastering engineer, Greg Calbi ( The National, St. Vincent, Fleet Foxes). Calbi’s touch pushes Interpersonal past the boundaries of bedroom recordings, while still retaining its lo-fi and intimate qualities.

As Janzen hones her artistry, her investment in other musi- cians serves as a catalyst. On a recent trip to Toronto, she queued for hours alongside friends to secure a good view of Paramore’s performance at the Budweiser Stage. “I love attending shows now more, because I have a little bit of knowledge of what goes into making them and it’s huge,” she says. “I think that, if anything, I’m almost more of a fan now that I’ve seen the other end more. I’m appreciating a lot more what it takes to be vulnerable in your music and create art that’s authentic.”

Janzen achieves this on Interpersonal, transcending mere sadness in her songs. Instead, they reflect the complexity of human emotion and offer an empathetic guide through moments of bleak despair.