Leah Kate writes pop/rock anthems that cut to the bone. Pairing booming, radio-ready choruses with poignant, hyper-specific details, her songs are intimate and razor-sharp—the sort of tracks that resonate with listeners around the world. With the success of the snarky breakup song “10 Things I Hate About You,” the Los Angeles native is realizing her childhood dreams of pop stardom by reaching deep within and sharing relatable feelings alongside addictive melodies. It’s a sound she has perfected on her irreverent-yet-emotional new EP, Alive and Unwell. Confessional and confident, this new EP finds Leah Kate digging deep yet again, embodying both the brash swagger and the raw vulnerability of the rock greats who preceded her. Moments like the title track show off just how real she’s willing to get. “I’m alive and unwell, some days I fucking hate myself,” she sings on the latter track over careening guitars. “No magic pill is gonna help.” It’s heavy, but that’s the point. Her breakout “10 Things I Hate About You” also makes an appearance, and that track too was the result of her cracking open tough situations in her life. Writing these songs is deeply cathartic. “I really needed to get over a guy who had been f***ing with my head for the longest time,” Kate says of her breakthrough hit. “At one point I decided to list everything I hated about him to help me move the f*** on.”