Ainsley Costello
Type,
her 24th release
Here’s a perfect example of the artists we love to support and follow here on Phantom Power. Ainsley is 18 years old, a Senior in college (at Berklee College of Music) and routinely plays shows around Nashville and the East Coast. Her latest single, “Type,” is her 24th release. Her 2020 LP, “You Know I Am” was clearly in the pop-country genre, but as she continues to grow and find her footing as an artist, it’s clear that the “Pretty Punk” genre (as she likes to call it), is her strong suit. Here’s our review of “Type.”
It’s an all-start with the band, and an absolutely banging octave riff, punctuated by some great stops and accents all throughout the first verse. When the chorus hits, we can’t help but laugh a bit because we realize that she’s talking about a particular type of guy that always seems to be attracted to her, despite her best efforts to avoid them. The second verse is a rapid fire delivery, where she asks what she should do next, then we’re back into that banging chorus that is undoubtedly relatable to single women everywhere. The guitar solo is absolute fire. 8 measures long with four of hook, and four of blazing riffs - perfectly constructed! Then we get to a bridge that is bound to be a massive crowd pleaser with thousands of arena fans screaming along at “one, two, three, four!” To round it out, we get a broken down chorus which nicely builds into a massive ending that features that killer opening riff again. Absolutely great track! Definitely our favorite of hers so far.
Production wise, it’s a text book example of how to record a killer pop song that clocks in under 3 minutes. Written by Costello and Ryland Fisher, it was produced by Zach Manno, recorded at Blackbird studios in Nashville and features Aidan Cunningham on drums and JD Severino on guitars. It looks like Zach has produced a bunch of her tracks in the past and definitely knows how to get the best of her vocals and keep the focus on the song. All the tones are spot on and we love the extra phasers and vibra slap he added!
Make sure you scroll down to catch her socials and other tracks. On her TikTok and Twitter, it’s pretty clear that this is a funny young lady who doesn’t mind making a few jokes at her own expense. The other tracks we love include “Metanoia,” a dreamy, hippy, jam-band vibe with a great live performance on her YouTube channel. “Waste My Time” is a gut wrenching tale about lost friendships with beautiful guitar riffs. “Little Sister” tells the story of growing up under the influence of Taylor Swift, and “Glitter” has one of the better melodies we’ve heard in a pop song in quite some time. At just 18, she’s off to an amazing start of what looks to be a very amazing career.