Just an EP. Just. But less is more. It’s a fuller sound than hearing Essex outfit Talkline live as a trio recently.
Singer songwriter Amy Hollingsworth and writing collaborator pianist Will Hobson are the key duo. Rory Hudson on bass from that recent live show is also on this recording which is enhanced by drums (Anmol Mohara) and guitar (Harry Mercer).
“Those growing pains that had to come have eased my wired mind”
– from the lyrics of the Hollingsworth and Hobson song, ‘Outside’
Live I liked ‘Stuck Here’ and ‘Outside’ with its slight South African township redolent feel in some of the harmonies most. And these are again ably conveyed. The “growing pains” of the EP title centres on the song and you get an insight of the inner turmoil that the protagonist feels that is moving towards a resolution where there is no such thing as either a happy or sad ending. It’s instead the spaces in between emotionally that matter more.
And it is that satisfying feeling that these songs aren’t meant to provide easy answers or twee expressions of resolution that I took away with me.
The scintillating ‘In My Head’ works well too, the production on Harry Mercer’s electric guitar feeds in to add extra grit and power.
As I mentioned in the live review it’s unusual to hear a singer accompany herself on vibes and Hollingsworth pulls off that feat well. The vibes element is one unique factor in the sound. Hollingsworth is a passionate singer. That’s important too.
The lyrics are quite confessional, soaked in a certain blueness. They don’t seem self indulgent, more an honest expression, like observation and a bit of self awareness that needs to be shared with intimates and strangers alike. But you don’t feel you are intruding on any one’s personal space merely by listening. That, as preposterous as it sounds, can be a problem with some singer-songwritery. Because there is too much information.
Eminently jazz adjacent thanks to the chords Hobson chooses. But ‘I Can See’ is probably furthest away from a jazz sensibility. ‘Outside’ is closest given the fast detailed scrabbling arpeggios and fine bass solo contributions from Hudson whose sound reminds me a little tonally of Tim Thornton circa New Kid.
