A Pop Coated and Honest New EP from Lucy Burke
- BuzzSlayers
- 34 minutes ago
- 4 min read
An absolutely refreshing and sort of classic EP release from Lucy Burke manages to bring together these cinematic undertones along with brilliant pop overtones that are lush, as the songs come through with a full-bodied feel, loads of instrumentation, hints of rock backbone at times, plenty of soul, but most importantly, a ton of actual character.
For me, it's the personality or character that you really get attached to. The stories that she tells, and how the songs sort of interconnect with each other, are key elements in the record's unfolding.
This is an EP called Meet Me There.
The whole thing starts with the track called "Little Ol' Me", which showcases some classic rock influence, little tastes of electronic, and more.
You have a robust synthesizer that sounds vintage, almost like it was used in a song from the 80s by The Cars.
This is a great aesthetic for the song because it does showcase some of her older influences that she brings to the plate.
Now, there are a slew of influences that are strewn throughout this record, but I like how she isn't afraid to deliver a little bit of edginess along with everything else.
You also have some pop guitars giving it a rock feel, pianos just underneath the surface, and bright vocals that are smooth and alluring.
As the song plays on, you get to those choruses and hooks that are riddled with other kinds of synthesizers and keys thickening everything up and pulling you into the song even deeper.
I'm into this simply because the layers of sounds, tones and textures delivered by the guitars and keys, along with the vocals, are all really wonderfully woven together, and she's able to create her own atmosphere this way.
This is followed by a song called "One Way Track", which kicks things off with a trip-hop approach in the vein of artists like Portishead.
This opens up to a more soulful feel, full guitars enriched with reverb effect and adding a little bit of extra spaciousness to the song, and her vocal performance here is a little different than it is on the first track.
This one has more of a classic jazz kind of feel to it in terms of how she's singing.
It is, of course, dipped in that pop overcoat, and that's part of why it works so well, but she's got a lot of soul on this one.
"Good Ol' Days" is probably the most cinematic and classic-sounding track of them all. This is more of a contemporary pop track, once again breeding an almost 80s tonality, and it just feels so colorful, vibrant, and welcoming.
Now, she's being very honest on a lot of these tracks, letting plenty of inner thought come out for all to soak in, but she's also amazing at creating these melodic hooks that wrap themselves around you.
There are more than a few of these throughout the record and it's part of why some of these songs have a way of sticking with you long after they have ended.
This track comes through crisp and with a beautiful shimmer to it that once again just feels filmic and enticing. It's a very satisfying song to listen to.
If this track were in a film itself, it would probably be those closing credits.
Probably the most outside-the-box track is "No Need", and it's still incredibly catchy, but in a different way. This is more widespread; it's got a bigger, vaster undertone, and there are these layers of guitars that sort of overlap each other, creating a dripping effect, and I really love how that was put together as well.
There's a lot about this record that showcases not just attention to detail lyrically and vocally, but to the songwriting and layering itself.
You can tell that there was a vision for this record and that everyone involved was very much on the same page.
The record closes with "Meet Me There", which to me is sort of a classic love song with a very breezy and freeing feeling to it.
This one has a lot of spaciousness and can sort of wash you away with the soundscape.
This was a gorgeous record, performed and put together with a certain level of elegance.
There's a lot of heart involved, and it's the kind of record that lets you know Lucy is an artist who puts pieces of herself into her music.
I would suggest listening to the entire thing from start to finish, in one shot.
It's the best way to take in the full spectrum of what the EP has to offer.
This is a beautiful record to swim through, and I think you'll find a sense of cinematic pop that's tastefully intriguing and outstandingly performed.
Don't just take my word for it, though; have a listen to this right now and remember where you heard it first.