There is something strikingly human about Things I Wish I Said, the debut EP from Venezuelan newcomer Nia Perez. It’s the sound of quiet self-examination—a diary flipped open, revealing emotional handwriting that’s messy, honest, bruised, and beautiful. Perez has crafted a body of work that floats between indie pop and bedroom intimacy, creating a sonic space where vulnerability isn’t just included—it leads.
“Shapeshifting” eases us into the emotional terrain, a track that questions how much of ourselves we lose when we bend to someone else’s expectations. There’s tension beneath the softness, like a held breath. “Not Her” follows with a heavier tread, the ache of being replaced—and still being needed—delivered with sharp lyrical nuance. It’s easy to understand why listeners resonate so deeply with it.
The heart of the EP, though, may be “Oh Sweet July,” a breakup pinned to a specific moment: a seventeenth birthday in New York. Perez transforms a personal memory into a universal heartbreak anthem. The melody floats, but the words land hard, every repetition of “how could you do this to me?” sinking deeper into the emotional fabric of the record.
“If you had asked me two years ago to share these personal letters with the world, I would have run the other way,” Nia shares. “But writing these songs has helped me finally say things I kept inside for too long. We’ve all got those unsent letters; maybe hearing mine will help others send theirs.”
Things I Wish I Said concludes with “Little Old Flame,” a song of looking outward rather than inward. Closure doesn’t come with fireworks but with understanding—and Perez delivers that with grace. The EP leaves the listener with the sense of an artist who knows exactly where she is coming from, and perhaps even more promisingly, where she is going next.