Nessa Barrett doesn’t ease into Jesus Loves A Primadonna. She drops straight into it, building a tightly wound, eight-song world that tracks obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of emotional patterns that refuse to break.

For Barrett, the EP marks a shift inward. Where earlier work leaned into character and distance, this set is rooted in her own cycles. She frames it as a villain origin story, but the details feel less theatrical and more lived-in, drawn from relationships that start fast, burn hot, and collapse just as quickly.

The sound follows that arc. Influenced by the brooding pull of Portishead and Massive Attack, Barrett leans into trip-hop textures, orchestral swells, and a noir atmosphere that carries through the entire record. Working again with producer CJ Baran, she entered the studio without a fixed plan, building from mood and instinct rather than structure.

“Stay With Me” anchors the EP emotionally. Written almost in real time after a moment of reflection, it pulls directly from Barrett’s experience with borderline personality disorder, focusing on abandonment and the fear of being left behind. It is one of the most direct songs she has released, stripped down to feeling rather than concept.

Elsewhere, “Buffalo 66” looks at the pull of toxic relationships, inspired in part by the 1998 film Buffalo '66. Barrett examines the tendency to stay in situations that feel familiar, even when they are damaging. It adds another layer to the EP’s central idea: recognizing the pattern without necessarily escaping it.

Across the project, she moves through different personas that tie back to the same core emotions. A Hollywood love witch on “West Coast Prayer.” A darker, more seductive presence on “Black-Haired Madonna.” Something colder and more volatile on “Venom,” influenced by True Blood.

The sequencing matters. The songs follow a loop of falling in love, losing control, breaking down, and starting over. Barrett makes that repetition the point. The EP closes without resolution, reinforcing the idea that these patterns are ongoing rather than solved.