By Isabella Ardetto, Contributor

[Because Music; 2025]

Rating: 7/10

Blaine Muise, more widely known as Shygirl, lures audiences back into the sultry, sticky, and sweet scene of the club with her newest offering, Club Shy Room 2, which was released on Feb. 28. The EP is a follow-up to last year’s Club Shy which featured a more house-focused sound that she has since strayed away from. Shy Girl 2 leans more into the artist’s original sound—gritty and raunchy hip-house vibes that would electrify any underground club. 

The EP starts with “Je M’appelle,” a strong opener for the general “It Girl” vibe of the release as a whole. Incessant drums drive a thumping beat forward as Shygirl displays a classic cocky, confident wifey who everyone wants to know and, sometimes, be. The song in general is catchy if not a little lackluster due to its incredibly short runtime—only a minute long and a couple seconds long—that leaves more to be desired. The song that follows soon after, “Flex,” also suffers from its brevity. Both songs, while they offer enticing beats and energy, feel like you’ve been dragged away from the club before you could really settle in and lose yourself in the music.  

Read more: Album Review: Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) 

The rest of the songs in the album are longer, giving the listener more time to digest each track as the frenzied feel of the club begins to form. This, and various features, build the EP up for a stronger impact than the starting tracks did. “Immaculate” brings a rise of intensity and heat that crescendos over the course of the rest of the release. It features Californian rapper Saweetie whose energy matches Shygirl’s perfectly. In an Instagram post, Shygirl commented on the production journey of the song, saying, “Everything about this song has been so fun to make. . .” and that it “. . . wasn’t complete until Saweetie came through and dropped her verse . . .” 

Cranking the heat up all the way, “F*Me,” featuring French Singer Yseult, shifts the listener into a dizzying rush of lust and seductiveness. Between the thump of heavy drums, Shygirl’s blunt sexual lyrics, and breathy French whispers here and there—the fever of dark-lit dance floor rave is brought to mind. Shygirl really leans her signature persona here; she’s unapologetically bossy and authoritarian, qualities undeniable with lyrics like “Watch me work it, I’m vibe rich / High quality or we bust / In the name of Shy we trust.” 

“Wifey Riddim,” the most recently released single on the EP (along with “Flex”), offers a winding-down sort of shift in tone. It’s light and playful, a true anthem for the “gyaldem” it speaks to. The song features Jorja Smith and SadBoi, the former whose alluring vocals cut through the sparkles and bass-heavy drive of the song and the latter whose solid verses complement and enhance Shygirl’s own. Overall, it serves as a nice contrast to the other tracks with a fun, “I’m with my girls” sort of vibe. 

The last track, “True Religion,” featuring Isabella Lovestory and PinkPantheress serves as a strong closing for the EP and is the track that stuck with me the most overall. It’s a triple whammy—catchy choruses from Shygirl, verses in Spanish from Lovestory that switch the song up nicely, and an infectiously bubbly bridge from PinkPantheress that sees the song out. As a conclusion of the album, the music and vocals eventually fade away, leaving the reader feeling like they just stepped out of the club and are back to the real world after a night of pure, unadulterated fun.  

Overall, though this is not a genre of music I typically gravitate towards personally, Club Shy Room 2 is sure to get anyone moving with its attractive beats and tempting lyrics—it’s a true call to lean into one’s wild side. The major criticism I have is the shortness of the EP as a whole; it leaves the listener wanting more when it is obvious an extension of both the songs and number of tracks would highly benefit enjoyment for listeners and fans.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1wk3qcMvPAOMTw3W75ymSX?si=lN8hzg8SSLqwGfc-J2lkrQ