i tried to run away when i was 6 is the project of Philadelphia-based singer Domenica Pileggi and, over the past year plus, they’ve been putting out a series of increasingly strong song collections over on Bandcamp, learning and refining the craft as they go. Now, Pileggi is ready to make an official debut. Not Avoiding You is yet another collection of songs, just more polished than what’s come before. It feels more like a culmination than a revelation, which makes sense, as Pileggi’s songwriting style is one that revels in small progressions.

On “June July May,” you can feel time trudging along as they recount their favorite months of the year and the sense of anticipation that comes along with them. In many ways, the song acts as a foil to a track by friend and recent tourmate Katie Bennett of Free Cake For Every Creature. On one of the songs from her most recent tape, moving songs, she confronts the same idea of growing up by way of relocating to a new city, and at points they even echo each other’s lines: “I know I’m only 22 and make nine bucks an hour,” Pileggi reveals, a counterpart to Bennett’s “all you gotta be when you’re 23 is yourself.” They both share an appreciation for transitory periods, of being ready for whatever life throws at you and going with the flow. That kind of attitude doesn’t come with some hesitation, but those feelings are quickly overcome by a sense of adventure: Pileggi is excited to live from “paycheck to paycheck,” as long as it means they can explore the world alongside someone they care about. “If I get to see you more,” then anything is worth it. Listen below.

Not Avoiding You is out 8/28 via Miscreant Records.