Melanie Pierce doesn’t hesitate to confront the dark feelings of the past.

The Detroit pop-rock singer-songwriter exposes deep frustration and disappointment from a former relationship on her confessional new single, “Stir Crazy.”

“This song was a huge release … it’s delicate, and one of those feelings was coercion,” Pierce said. “It brought closure by allowing me to get it all out as well as adding a little poetry to the mix.”

Alongside fearless electric guitar, bass and drums, she sings, “It hasn’t been seven years yet but who’s counting / It won’t be long until I’m a different person / And I’m comforted in brand new skin / A place I know your hands have never been.”

“I had been processing feelings from this song for a long time and being able to write about it a bit poetically was very cathartic,” Pierce said.

Pierce captured “Stir Crazy’s” cathartic and courageous feel with co-producer John Katona, co-producer/guitarist/bassist Tom Mihalis’ and drummer/percussionist Dalton Thomas at Shelby Township’s JK (Not Kidding) Studios.

“John, Tom and Dalton took the song to the next level,” she said. “This one specifically felt very dialed in from the start, meaning that it truly was an amazing experience to have Dalton come in and immediately be on the same page about where the song was headed stylistically.”

Fool and Flame

“Stir Crazy” also serves as the title track from Pierce’s debut EP, which features four tracks and drops Oct. 13 via Bird Fight Records. It’s the third single Pierce has released from Stir Crazy along with “Fool” and “Flame.”

“This collection of songs is very different from the other stuff that I’ve released and from the other stuff that I’m now working on,” she said. “This is a true passion project of mine that has an entirely new and different sound.”

Pierce evokes that passion and vulnerability on “Fool,” a forthright ballad about yearning for another and ignoring your instincts.

Cautious acoustic guitar and bass forewarn Pierce as she sings, “I’ve never known a love like this / Your sun and my moon are twins / Don’t turn your cheek / Don’t look at me with those opal eyes / They tell me everything.”

“It is a very lustful song; I hope people like that since I haven’t really shown that side through music yet,” she said. “I also feel like most people have some form of trust issues, and this song kind of speaks to that in a way that sneaks up on you.”

Pierce’s sensual lyrics for “Fool” came quickly and naturally and reflect a fleeting moment.

“This song was written in 15 minutes flat; I had all of the words within my reach. Most of my songs were written based on memories,” she said.

“This song was a present moment and a present feeling, and I wrote it. I don’t mean ‘Fool’ in the literal sense … it represents this almost sly feeling of ‘I don’t normally trust people in this sense, yet here I am. Here we are.’”

After seeing a fiery relationship ignite on “Fool,” Pierce witnesses another smolder on “Flame,” a determined ballad about overcoming heartbreak and moving forward.

Backed by melancholic piano and electric guitar, she sings, “I was born with so much fight and in the ashes we burned overnight / And my flame burns so strong, but mine’s not the kind of fire that you want / So you’ll go out and search the world / Your adventurous soul and beautiful girls / But my intentions were pure and good.”

“It was written out of direct experience … about two-and-a-half or three years ago. One of my favorite things is to write a song that means so much on so many levels and then be able to process the whole thing,” said Pierce, who’s inspired by Taylor Swift, Paramore and I Prevail.

“It’s definitely about a release in every way, shape and form. When I wrote it, it was very cathartic because I got to say what I didn’t get to say to that person. It was more of a situation, and I had just come out of a really tough time in general.”

Like “Stir Crazy,” Pierce also worked with Katona and Mihalis on “Flame” and “Fool.” Together, they created an organic and raw sound for each track while compiling them for the Stir Crazy EP.

“I knew those guys were the perfect team to bring it forward because they’re so good at the sound,” she said. “In terms of producing, it was the three of us the whole time. I did have other musicians come in and play on other songs.”

Videos and Shows

In addition, the trio collaborated on a series of live performance videos for “Fool,” “Stir Crazy” and a cover of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” from 2012’s Red album.

Released as part of the Bird Fight Records series, the videos for “Fool” and “Stir Crazy” also feature guitarist Jeremiah McWhorter.

“The video for ‘Stir Crazy’ will come out in a few weeks; it was great to work with them on it,” Pierce said. “We recorded the songs quickly and the videos as well.”

In the meantime, fans can catch Pierce performing acoustic versions of her songs live on Sept. 30 at a Sofar Sounds Detroit show. The venue for the concert won’t be announced until 36 hours ahead of showtime.

“My set will include a nice mix of old and new material and even a few new songs not on the EP,” she said. “I don’t know who else is performing yet.”

Looking ahead, Pierce wants to build a live band, book more shows and work on new material.

“I want to really focus on playing live and finding players and filling that out,” she said. “I also want to keep writing and putting music out.”

Show details:

Sofar Sounds Detroit with Melanie Pierce

Saturday, Sept. 30 | 7:30 p.m.

Venue TBA 36 hours ahead of showtime

Tickets: $20