Sara Kays has built a loyal following with alt-leaning, emotionally-raw pop songs like “No Matter The Season,” “Home For The Summer” and “Chosen Last.” Those gems, which explore themes like body image, otherness and the final, fleeting days of adolescence, are housed on the 21-year-old excellent Camera Shy EP (out now). The 7-song set also includes a smattering of new material. “Same House” documents divorce from a child’s perspective, “High School” exudes teen angst and “Smaller Than This” offers a startling insight into body dysmorphia.
And then there’s “It’s Okay Though,” a painfully relatable outsider anthem. “I have a couple friends but we don’t hang out anymore, when we do anything they always act like they are bored,” Sara sings dejectedly over strummed guitar. “I care and I pretend I don’t, but I’m okay though.” That scenario links directly to the EP’s title. “I’m literally camera shy,” the breakout star reveals. “In a group photo, I’ll be standing off to the side. It’s the overarching theme of the EP.” Stream Camera Shy in full below.