Browsing Tag

UK singer songwriter

Evelyn’s ‘The Woman I Used to Be’ Is A Pop Elegy in the Mirror of Memory

If you thought the title ‘The Woman I Used to Be’ was harrowing, just wait until you feel the sting of the minor piano keys and the evocative pull of Evelyn’s celestially raw vocal lines. in her latest single. With the ability to deliver the artful highs of Kate Bush alongside the reverberant depth of Adele, Evelyn provides an expansive, emotive range from her vocal performance alone.

When you factor in the crescendos and cinematic production behind ‘The Woman I Used to Be’, which poignantly mourns the loss of our authentic selves while urging us to reclaim that lost contentment, the track becomes an evocative reflection on emotional resilience. Life inevitably leaves scars, but Evelyn powerfully conveys that healing can be about moving closer to who you truly are, rather than retreating further away.

Evelyn, the Nottinghamshire-based singer-songwriter, spent years finding the courage to share her own music after initially performing timidly under her original stage name, Evelyn Pretty. From early covers of post-modern jukebox numbers to vintage classics, it was relentless perseverance that transformed her self-doubt into assured artistry. By early 2024, she committed fully to her instrument, learning piano from scratch, and emerging a year later with emotionally charged originals rooted firmly in piano-driven compositions.

‘The Woman I Used to Be’ isn’t merely relatable; it is profoundly affecting, capable of resonating with anyone who has felt the friction between past contentment and present uncertainty.

The Woman I Used to Be is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Starfire in the Scar Tissue: Stephan Leroy Folkes Transcends Temporal Turmoil in ‘It’s All Within Time (Travelling Through the Stars)’

Stephan Leroy Folkes

After launching Say It Like You Mean It with an insistent demand for honesty, Stephan Leroy Folkes has returned to eclipse every surface-level sentiment in It’s All Within Time (Travelling Through the Stars). Where the debut came with sharp confrontation, the sophomore single is steeped in cosmic introspection and scorched-soul sonics that unravel through alt-soul-pop with funk-slicked edges and ethereal atmospherics.

Folkes has dialled up the soul, beguile, and eccentric electricity up to 11, welcoming his ever-growing fan following into the epitome of impassioned visceralism. With the cosmic underpinnings to the alt-soul-pop serenade and Folkes’ falsetto vocal timbre surpassing the scintillation of Michael Jackson with the aching vibrato that hits in the chorus, the single is a lesson on what it means to truly go beyond surface level with emotions.

From the first synth-streaked beat to the last breathy note, the track tests the tensile strength of resilience, using star-bound metaphors to map the personal collisions that shake us into shape. The Leytonstone-born artist never plays it safe—nor should he. Born from brushes with death, his sound is living proof that survival can sound transcendent. With nods to Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Billie Eilish woven into his genre-defiant fingerprint, Stephan sidesteps imitation and plants himself firmly in the present moment of music with a sound entirely his own.

It’s All Within Time (Travelling Through the Stars) is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nick Cody & The Heartache’s ‘Next Up’ Is A Swaggering Alt-Rock Serenade to Survival

With their latest single, Next Up, from the freshly pressed LP This is Love and the Heartache, Leeds-based Nick Cody & The Heartache have decidedly dialled up the swank and swagger. Frenetically paced grooves pull listeners into a sandstorm of Jim Morrison-esque desert-infused vocals, while backing harmonies create a dynamic, kinetic whirlwind of alt-rock reverence. The ensemble seems charged with an infectious energy that leaps effortlessly from musician to musician, ensuring the track becomes a certified serotonin shot—even against the stark refrain, ‘you don’t know what it’s like to die ‘round here’.

Clearly the band’s boldest sonic exploration to date, the creative gamble has spectacularly paid off. Genre boundaries crumble away as Next Up seamlessly sways from funk to college radio rock, slipping into vintage soul without missing a beat or dropping intensity. Released via Green Eyed Records—an imprint championing creative collaboration, previously hosting acclaimed artists like Jon Gomm and Martin Simpson—the single underscores Cody’s razor-sharp lyrical instincts and penchant for crafting melodies that refuse to fade.

Next Up is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Angie Keys Unlocks Emotional Armour in Her Alt-Pop Anthem ‘Brave’

With an intro landing deftly between a bitter-sweet Taylor Swift ballad and the soaring guitar strings of a Springsteen-inspired country-pop anthem, Angie Keys’ single, ‘Brave’, instantly immerses you in melodically impassioned territory. Taken from her debut album, Finally Here, the track never allows its emotive momentum to falter, striking an affecting balance between intensity and tranquillity.

Keys’ instrumental swells resonate with palpable feeling, affirming her talent for embedding visceral emotion into each note. Yet, amidst this sonic strength, a gentle serenity emerges through Keys’ vocals, gracefully drifting through the production like whispers of comfort. This effortless vocal touch adds a serene reverie, making the single a musical salve for those wearied by fortitude.

Lyrically, ‘Brave’ explores the resilience required to thrive despite relentless trials—an honest narrative borne from genuine life experience. Keys, a Birmingham-based singer-songwriter with roots tracing back to childhood family performances, has grown into a nuanced storyteller. Her teenage fascination with 90s multitrack recording blossomed into mastery, fuelled further by life’s heartbreaks, repairs, loves, and losses. These lived experiences culminate impressively on her long-awaited debut, underpinned by contributions from global talents including Emiliano Boulot on drums, Daniel Beachy’s pedal steel, Marco Gatti’s piano keys, Hugo Lanauestudi’s lap steel, and Joseph Keys’ accomplished guitar and production work.

Brave is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Syion Unleashed a Dark Electro Rock Aphrodisiac with ‘the brat in me comes alive’

Syion has always operated in a euphonic league of his own, but the brat in me comes alive is a seductively dark electro rock invitation into the world of one of the most original artists in the UK. With whispered vocals as sensuous as the indie-tinged trip-hop-adjacent instrumentals, he delivers catharsis by the smorgasbord, inviting his ever-growing fanbase to envelop themselves in hypnotically arcane, spectrally scintillating reverie. There’s the sense that Syion is a true artist, one who can manipulate emotions at will and alchemically express himself beyond sound and syllables. If you thought Deftones were sexy, prepare for the ultimate aphrodisiac when you hit play.

As an English singer-songwriter, performer, musician, and producer, Syion seamlessly fuses dark alternative pop, folk pop, dance, and downtempo electronica with bold, boundary-pushing creativity. His album, Introspections of a distorted mind, plunges into social commentary and personal exploration while painting across a diverse sonic spectrum.

the brat in me comes alive is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jenna Louise’s ‘Safe’ Opens Wounds Just to Show How They Can Heal

Jenna Louise strips back the glossy veneer of love songs in ‘Safe’, offering something far more valuable than sentimentality—understanding. The North East singer-songwriter, whose reputation has been cemented through BBC Introducing and international airplay, takes the worn-out phrase you have to love yourself before someone else can and reshapes it into something more compassionate. The standing ovation-worthy piano-led ballad explores the weight of past trauma in new relationships, showing gratitude for the kind of love that doesn’t demand perfection but instead cradles scars with care.

The classic pop stylings in Safe are pulled into the present by the sheer emotional intelligence in the lyrics and the affecting maturity in Jenna Louise’s expansive vocal range. Cinematically seraphic harmonies rise between honeyed verses steeped in introspection, turning a deeply personal reflection into a universally resonant moment. Every note is delivered with the kind of conviction that makes the difference between a song that’s heard and one that’s felt.

With her debut album My Journey already making waves, turning heads at HMV in Darlington, and featuring collaborations with Carl Pemberton (Journey South) and Sam Haynes, there’s never been a better time to affix Jenna Louise to your radar.

Safe was officially released on Valentine’s Day and is out now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nick Cody & The Heartache featuring Calverley Community Choir’s ‘This is Love’ is a slice of divine sonic intervention  

Nick Cody & The Heartache

Nick Cody & The Heartache’s cover of ‘This is Love’—originally by Towse—featuring the Calverley Community Choir is an immersive sermon on the visceral weight of human connection. Recorded by acclaimed Leeds producer Carl Rosamond, this track will feature on the forthcoming album This is Love and Heartache, slated for release on 11th April 2025 via Green Eyed Records.

True to form, the Leeds-based artist, whose previous work has been praised by notable names such as Jon Gomm and Chris Catalyst, continues to define the indefinable. Jim Glennie, founder member of James, aptly summarised Nick’s artistry as “wonderfully innovative and explorative… exciting and unpredictable,” and ‘This is Love’ lives up to that ethos.

Underpinned by the gentle tension of overdriven guitar chords, the track lets emotion guide the orchestration. Cody’s lead vocals entwine with the celestial harmonies of the Calverley Community Choir, creating an ethereal interplay that transcends rhythm and time. The track’s tenderness belies its immense emotional force; while the delicate crescendos may warm the soul, the unflinching gravity of the lyrics bears down on it.

Far from simply replicating Towse’s original, Cody renders the song anew, threading in his signature authenticity. This is a love song that abandons cliché in favour of a raw yet profoundly human exploration of connection. For fans of Low or those who appreciate their music with both abrasion and beauty, ‘This is Love’ is a strikingly unforgettable experience.

This is Love will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Soundcloud, from February 1st.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Narcissist Cookbook is the ultimate artisan of raw acoustic punk spoken word poetry in ‘The Library at the Very Bottom of This Place’

MYTH: Side Two by The Narcissist Cookbook

On The Library at the Very Bottom of This Place, from MYTH: Side Two, the Stirling-hailing troubadour of raw rancour, The Narcissist Cookbook (Matt Johnston) delivered an acoustic punk sermon that cuts right to the core.

Opening with ragged, chopped guitar chords, the track clears a barren stage for Johnston’s raw spoken-word poetry to take centre stage. Each word furls like smoke above the sparse instrumentation, leaving space for the jagged lyricism to pierce through and embed itself in the listener’s psyche.

Marked with defiance and rage, Johnston’s delivery ensures every ounce of sentiment lands with weight, echoing the poetic intensity of Neutral Milk Hotel, Amigo the Devil, and ROAR. Stripped back to its raw bones, the track’s minimalist instrumentation heightens the visceral connection, proving that less can be infinitely more when the narrative is this evocative.

Johnston may have only developed their histrionic half-spoken vocal style after losing their singing voice, but even away from traditional semblances of harmony, the track leaves nothing to be desired in the way of euphony.

With nearly 100 sold-out headline tour dates across the US and Europe, 30 million+ streams, and acclaim as one of Scotland’s most successful cult artists, Johnston’s ability to create art that defies expectation is unparalleled.

Stream and purchase The Library at the Very Bottom of This Place on Bandcamp now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

‘Ghosts’ by Liz Owen: A Luminous Hymn to the Shadows of Memory

With her hauntingly seraphic ballad Ghosts, the Merseyside breakthrough singer-songwriter Liz Owen delivered an introspective piece, marked by diaphanous instrumentation that cradles her powerhouse vocals, which soar with an ethereal resonance while grounding the listener in the emotive weight of her lyricism. Exploring how the spectres of memory can obscure our clarity, Owens turns a personal reckoning into a universally affecting experience.

Hailing from Wirral, Merseyside, Liz has already carved a name for herself on the national stage, touring with icons like Midge Ure and Joan Armatrading. Her extensive BBC Radio features and reputation for rhythmic, fingerstyle acoustic guitar work lend an air of accomplished artistry to everything she creates. On Ghosts, the neo-classical elegance of the arrangement intertwines with an accessibility that nods to her ability to straddle the mainstream without compromising her craft.

Released as part of her debut LP Beautiful Beasts, which arrived in October 2024, Ghosts stands as a glowing testament to her lyrical and vocal talent, which deserves to be revered as fervently as the works of Tori Amos and the Anchoress.

Between Ghosts and her recently released festive single It’s Different This Christmas, Liz Owen is laying the groundwork for a career defined by her ability to amalgamate vulnerability, technical skill, and storytelling in ways that resonate beyond sound.

Stream Ghosts on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Garfield Mayor sought sanctuary in the plight of an icon with ‘Any Tips? (Jimmy James)’

With Any Tips? (Jimmy James), Garfield Mayor lays bare the bittersweet reality of artistic pursuit, offering a tender yet fiercely resonant tribute to the late icon Jimmy James. Far from a surface-level homage, this gentle melodic rock confession exposes the grit behind the glamour, questioning salvation and searching for guidance with an understated intensity.

Mayor crafted this poignant vignette and reached the epitome of euphonic cultivation. A master of marrying introspection with melody, he channelled his influences—from the narrative eloquence of Paul Simon to the sonic aesthetic of The Eagles—into an expansive arrangement that radiates raw soul. His hybridised sound doesn’t attempt to mask the struggle; instead, it makes the plight of the artist a celebration of authenticity and resilience.

Through its plaintive tones and introspective lyrics, Any Tips? reaches beyond the confines of mere music, becoming a sermon for the soul. It’s an evocative reminder that while audiences are often captivated by the limelight, they rarely recognise the toil and torment beneath. For any artist navigating the labyrinth of creativity while wrestling with their own struggles, Mayor offers not just solace but solidarity.

Any Tips? (Jimmy James) was officially released on January 24th and is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast