And life on her own in New York City is what inspired Kacey to go in "more of a storytelling direction" with this album, which reflects on the past as she begins a new chapter of her story. "It's kind of a diary entry—a goodbye letter to my high school experience," she explains. "It combines a lot of the different emotions I've been feeling throughout the past few years."

As we obsessively listen to each of the EP's six addictive tracks, we had to get the deets directly from Kacey on everything that went into creating the album...and what's coming next.

Girls' Life: So, why exactly *does* nostalgia haunt you?

Kacey: Nostalgia is always something I've grappled with—it's such an intense emotion, like, sometimes I'm so gripped by nostalgia I feel like I'm literally going to throw up. It's that yearning for that past you can never go back to. At the same time, it's bittersweet—there are experiences I feel nostalgic for, my senior year of high school especially, but at the same time, I'm glad they're over. I think that kind of manifested in my songwriting. I was also listening to a lot of Melodrama by Lorde.

GL: Obsessed with that album. Anyone else who inspires your sound?

Kacey: Lorde, definitely. Taylor Swift is an icon for obvious reasons. Conan Gray has been a comfort artist for me lately...I think his music is just this amazing time capsule of what I was feeling at the moment I discovered it and his progression as an artist has been amazing to watch. Gracie Abrams, Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, Troye Sivan...I also randomly love, like, Jeff Buckley, The Smiths, Childish Gambino, Eminem. I'll listen to an artist that isn't exactly in my style but I will see that influence kind of subconsciously slip into my music.

GL: What's a story behind one of the songs on the EP?

Kacey: "Self Sabotage" is my friends' favorite. A lot of them are also big fans of Gracie Abrams, Conan Gray...it kind of has those vibes. I was walking in an Office Depot parking lot with one of my high school friends. We were talking about her ex and she jokingly said, like, "oh, I wonder if you could write a song about him." And then I just had the first verse, and I put it in my Notes, and then I got home later and just suddenly had the full song. I sent it to my friend and she was like, "that's really accurate."

GL: As you release this EP, kind of your homage to high school, you're now in NYC pursuing your degree. How has your sound changed?

Kacey: [NYC] has been amazing. I feel like so many people here are hustling to make their dreams come true—so many musicians and creatives. I've definitely progressed since Nostalgia Haunts Me, where I very much have the same artistic style but the topics are thematically different—more about my life in college now—and I'm growing and maturing and in this transitional period of my life.

GL: What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned from balancing music and schoool?

Kacey: This might not sound like good advice at first, but it's OK to prioritize things over school sometimes. Like, I want a social life, I want to exercise, I want to work on my music. I know that if I tell myself, like, you can't do anything until all your assignments are done, then I'll never have time to do anything that's fun or that's important for my mental health. I think it's really just about blocking my time to ensure I can still have that time for myself.

GL: One thing everyone should know about you is...

Kacey: My friendships are really important to me. I try to be very thoughtful, show appreciation with my friends. I'm honest, loyal, supportive. I've heard I'm very, like...on the fly with my friends. I will come up with random one-liners or phrases and just say funny things for the sake of it. Right now it's "methinks," which people are like, "that's so off-putting." That's kind of the point. It's just funny

GL: Finally, what's your biggest goal?

Kacey: To play at the Greek Theatre [in Los Angeles]. I love that venue—it's beautiful and I've seen so many amazing concerts there. That's one of my big, big dreams. And just for people to connect with my music and with this EP. I can see the playlists my songs are added to and it's so funny, like, someone will add my song to a playlist called "rotting in bed" or something, and I'm like, that's so real.