Country music star Kelsea Ballerini released her newest Extended Play (EP), “Mount Pleasant,” on Friday, Nov. 14. The EP explores themes of missed chances at motherhood, relationship insecurities, mental health and more as she navigates her early 30s and deepens her self-reflection.
“‘Mount Pleasant’ is a collection of six songs I’ve written throughout the summer, marking a chapter of heavy self-examination, longing and stepping further into who I am as a 32-year-old woman,” Ballerini said on her website.
The 15-minute EP compacts the emotional landscape of womanhood into something concise, yet still relatable, giving listeners space to self-reflect with Ballerini. She revealed that she likes making EPs as “a creative exercise and also a palate cleanser for [her] own artistry.”
Before she released her EP, she released a single titled “I Sit In Parks.” This track serves as a strong tone-setter for the EP. Ballerini explores her longing for motherhood and the complicated tug-of-war between personal ambition and personal desire. She sings, “I wonder if she wants my freedom like I want to be a mother.” The song has garnered around 3.8 million streams on Spotify as of Wednesday, Nov. 19.
“I was having this moment of ‘Wow, how lucky am I that this is my life?’ and this is a dream that I’ve chosen … but, like, I also think that I have that dream too, and how does that work,” Ballerini said on her social media.
“I Sit In Parks” is my favorite song on the EP because sonically, it sounds so peaceful, but conveys this internal struggle of realizing you were too busy focusing on one dream that you left the other dream unfulfilled.
The second track, “People Pleaser,” focuses on Ballerini’s internal debate of constantly prioritizing other people’s needs above her own. She questions if being a people pleaser is something she learned from childhood and then carried into adulthood out of the desire to be liked. Ultimately she questions whether you know your true identity if you have this people-pleasing habit.
In both “Emerald City” and “587,” Ballerini sings about the insecurities she’s faced in her different relationships. Fans have speculated that “587” is about her relationship with “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes. The two began dating in Jan. 2023 and were confirmed to have split in September of this year. The EP’s title, “Mount Pleasant,” is also a filming location for “Outer Banks” in South Carolina, furthering the connection to Stokes and fueling her fans’ theories.
“The Revisionist” investigates regretful decisions. Ballerini contemplates how one wishes they could erase past mistakes, even when choosing to own them, and she emphasizes the frustration that comes with not having the ability to change the past.
The closing track, “Check On Your Friends,” is a reminder to check in on your seemingly happy friends. The ending of the song circles back to the first track, “I sit in parks / To see just how far I am / From the things that I want.” This makes it feel like she’s sharing with the audience how she’s doing as if we are the ones checking in on her.
Ballerini’s last EP, “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat,” (2023) emphasized the emotions of her divorce from Morgan Evans in 2022. “Mount Pleasant” feels lighter in that respect but still provides the honesty and vulnerability that is focused on growth rather than heartbreak. As someone who has been listening to Ballerini since 2015, I have loved seeing her open up and create more personable songs as she goes on in her career. While I still think that “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat” is her stronger EP, “Mount Pleasant” offers an intimate and fresh peek into where she is now and where she could be headed next.
