Reviewed by: Danielle Holian

Alt-pop provocateur Dirt Flirt, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Kit Eaton-Kent, arrives swinging with her self-titled debut EP, Dirt Flirt. It’s a razor-sharp, emotionally exposed, and sonically addictive introduction to an artist who wears her contradictions like a badge of honour. Blending synth-drenched melancholia, emo-pop drama, and confessional songwriting, the five-track project captures the chaotic tenderness of queer identity in your twenties, navigating heartbreak, self-sabotage, and fleeting intimacy with startling clarity.

Produced by Redshank and fully written and performed by Eaton-Kent herself, Dirt Flirt reads like a journal someone accidentally left open, too raw to ignore and too infectious not to replay. Fans of The Japanese House, 070 Shake, or even early Lorde will find a familiar pulse here, but what makes Dirt Flirt stand out is her ability to oscillate between biting sarcasm and genuine vulnerability, often in the same verse.

The EP opens with “Necklace,” a stormy, synth-laden track that plunges straight into the deep end. Dirt Flirt immediately confronts the allure and toxicity of a recurring romance. The production is icy and brooding, yet her vocals stay warm, almost hesitant, as if she’s whispering secrets only the beat should hear. The “sweet-talker devil” on her shoulder makes for a striking metaphor—and sets the tone for the internal tug-of-war that defines the project.

Next up is “Dramatic,” the most raucous and theatrical moment on the EP. Anchored by distorted guitars and shadowy electronics, it’s a self-aware anthem that tears into the exhausting spiral of emotional overreactions and inner turmoil. Dirt Flirt turns her lens inward without losing her cool; there’s a cathartic brilliance to the way she mocks her own patterns, while still confessing how trapped she feels inside them. It’s emo-pop at its most polished and self-reflective.

By the time we hit “Boyfriend,” the mood takes a deceptively brighter turn. A fan favourite for a reason, this is Dirt Flirt at her catchiest and most crushing. The track plays like a queer coming-of-age film distilled into three and a half minutes: falling for someone who only sees a fraction of who you are. With tongue-in-cheek lines and a hook that feels both euphoric and doomed, it’s the kind of song that makes you want to dance and cry in the same breath.

“Bodycount” brings the EP to a more desolate, but deeply resonant space. Here, Dirt Flirt peels back the layers of regret and shame following a breakup, with her signature lyrical candour. The chorus, both soaring and subdued, hits like a gut punch: the realisation that you were once someone’s everything, and are now just another tick in the ledger of their past. The melody twists and turns with unpredictable phrasing, making it one of the more experimental and emotionally potent tracks on the record.

Finally, “Don’t Go” closes the EP with a ghostly whisper. Built around a minimalist, haunting synth line, the track meditates on disconnection and the modern inability to maintain emotional ties. “Don’t go, I’m not a ghost,” Dirt Flirt pleads, turning the common trope of ghosting into a self-aware cry for re-connection. It’s a quietly devastating closer, less about closure and more about the aching space where words used to be.

Overall, Dirt Flirt is a confident, captivating debut. One that refuses to clean up its messiness for mass appeal, yet lands firmly in the pop sphere thanks to its clever songwriting and genre-blurring production. It’s not just emotionally raw, it’s emotionally real. In a sea of polished alt-pop, Dirt Flirt delivers something braver: honesty without the armour.

If you’re looking for a new artist to soundtrack your heartbreak, existential spirals, or just a moody night in, Dirt Flirt should be your next obsession.

Dirt Flirt is streaming now, and be sure to follow Dirt Flirt on social media to see what she has up her sleeve next.