★★★★☆
Four Stars
If her new EP, Understudy, is anything to go by, then Holly ‘Låpsley’ Fletcher is clearly one to watch for 2015. Since her appearance on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, her career has really taken off, and her record deal with XL Recordings signed in October was the first step in what promises to be an exciting 12 months for the eighteen year old singer-songwriter.
Her sweet, folkish voice speaks for itself, and is showcased throughout the EP though perhaps best of all on ‘Dancing’, the EP’s final track. These tremendous vocals are laid over simple percussion and synthetic beats, creating an understated yet incredibly powerful sound.
While the first track, ‘Falling Short’, might be the song grabbing all the headlines with its wailing vocals, the second song, ‘Brownlow’, is perhaps the most exciting, and its complexity and maturity suggest that there is a lot more depth to come from Låpsley in her future releases.
Låpsley’s lyrics belie her years and show great emotional intelligence, with the EP taking on an almost mournful tone overall, and sounding like the work of a much older and more experienced musician. All in all, this is a hugely exciting beginning to the year, and we’ll undoubtedly be hearing more of her in the months to come. Let’s hope her future releases won’t fall short of the promise revealed on Understudy.
