As the follow up to a series of collaborative EPs and her renowned debut work Love & Trust, Capetonian singer-songwriter Hunter Rose’s sophomore EP is an honest depiction of love in all its stages and the inevitable pain living alongside it. With Butterfly, Rose grapples with turmoil while celebrating her feminine agency, arriving in a place where things are done on her terms. With the rich and alluring tones of Rose’s warm vocals, it’s easy to get reeled in by the relatable emotions and anecdotes she works through, as she blends soul, jazz, R&B, hip-hop and house to forge a unique sonic experience that reflects her dynamic personality. Butterfly opens with “Forever Yours”, a reflection of the infatuation stage of what we naively assume will be a perfect, everlasting love. “Grateful” is a critical lesson in processing pain and emerging stronger from it, illustrated by melancholic guitar chords. With references to family, it’s also a reminder of what’s universally important. The sultry “What you wanna do?” makes no secret of the fact that longing, lust and the chase are all part of this process. As far as brief interludes go, “Hollywood” is as dreamy as they come, like a luxurious bubble bath condensed into one minute. The roles of these ongoing love games are reversed in “Having my way”, where Rose stresses the importance of making no apologies for going after what your heart desires, and it’s here she uses the imagery of a butterfly flying free.