James Pots doesn’t waste a second of Close My Eyes trying to impress with grand gestures. Instead, he lets his whispered reverence do all the talking. The short and sweet burst of idyllic folk reverie is a love letter penned with unflinching adoration, performed with an impassioned quiescence that draws you into the centre of the intimately minimalist performance. With little more than the rugged pulls of his guitar strings and the warm reverberations of his honeyed harmonies, he strips romance back to its rawest form—delivered with the quiet conviction of someone who knows exactly what devotion sounds like.
Featured on his debut LP, Everybody’s Gonna Know Your Name, Close My Eyes is just a glimpse into the album’s broader meditation on love and commitment. Where so many artists overcomplicate what those three little words mean, Pots keeps it unpretentious and unguarded.
At just 18, Pots has already proven himself to be a master of understatement. With a growing catalogue spanning acoustic folk, pop, and even dance EDM, he’s building a reputation as an emerging Australian artist unafraid to explore his creative instincts. If Close My Eyes is any indication, he’ll be one to watch as his sound continues to take shape.
Close My Eyes is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast