Gia Woods Delivers 'Heartbreak County Vol. 2' EP

Persian pop experimentalist Gia Woods delivers a technicolor punch with Heartbreak County, Vol. 2. The strobe-lit electropop EP dishes out more grit than glitz, exploring a "deeper, more raw side" than Vol. 1.

"This second half is the gritty side without all the glamour of Heartbreak County," says Gia. "It's the messy slutty party phase you go through to forget you're hurting. It's sexy but also real." Gia's tongue in cheek turns of phrase are backed by glistening synths and barbed bass lines that demand your presence on the dance floor.

Along with the release of the EP, Gia shares dark, beat-driven track, 'Disco Heart.' Gia explains that the track "shows that inflation you feel when something is so good, so mesmerizing, but so bad for you." She toes the line between willful ignorance and finite goodbyes in a breakup, begging her lover, "Don't say my name / Don't make me stay." Cosmic synths embellish the track's hard-hitting beat, generating a frenzied attempt to dance away the heartbreak.

The last track to be released ahead of the single was queer pop escapade 'PCH (Pretty Cold Heart).' Gia imagines herself from the point of view of a partner who, in spite of Gia's brokenness, still wants a piece of her. She delivers the song's memorable hook in a breathy belt, "I'll let her tear me apart / I'm down on my knees / So I can get a piece of / Her pretty cold heart."

Gia says of the EP's earlier releases, "A lot of the first singles...show all the highs, fun, good, escapism that I was feeling in the moment." In 'Spend It,' Gia has no problem demanding that you splurge on her, even if it requires selling your soul to fulfill her wishes. In the face of the end of times (or rather, "a triple disco massacre"), she beckons, "You know wanna / Gimme all that you got...The world is ending / Spend it on me."

A bombastic disco beat drives 'Cover Girl,' which finds an unapologetic Gia bouncing between wispy choruses and cheeky sorry-not-sorry proclamations. Pride month anthem 'Lesbionic' is downright danceable. Sultry and seductive, Gia floats above the futuristic beat, alluring, "And now it's closing time / You know that I / Look even better when the lights go on / It's so erotic / Lesbionic." The emotional closing track 'Cruel Intentions' finds Gia at her most vulnerable, tying the project together with a final reflection on her heartbreak.

With the opening track 'Hello,' Gia became one of the first artists to release on TikTok's exclusive SoundOn+ platform. Heartbreak County, Vol. 2 is being released on Elle Records, one of the first labels partnering with TikTok. The project follows the release of Gia's sophomore EP, Heartbreak County, Vol. 1.

Written from the perspective of a Los Angeles native, each song on the 4-track EP tackles one of city's vices: fame, sex, God, or addiction. To most closely capture the project's essence, each song was also imagined, written, recorded, and perfected in the City of Angels.

As Gia Woods' reach has grown, so has her commitment advocacy. Over the years, Gia has emerged as a potent voice in the LGBTQ+ community. In her traditional Persian household in Los Angeles, Gia's parents saw music as a fleeting hobby rather than a promising career. Gia therefore grew up a loner, picking up guitar and violin on her own and listening to everything from Green Day and Björk to Radiohead and Madonna.

It was in high school when Gia wrote what would be her first single, "Only A Girl," perhaps the most emotional song she's ever penned. Released in 2016, the breathy pop track was also her bold, coming out anthem - to her parents, friends and everyone who didn't know that part of her before. Since its release, the impact of "Only A Girl" has continued to grow - it's since reached over 11 million views on YouTube and Gia gained nearly 100,000 subscribers.

Listen to the new EP here: