Oh Spring, you young and vibrant thing. The unwelcoming bite of of Winter’s frost is gone, and Summer, with its dreaded bead of sweat destined for your butt crack, is yet to rear it’s head. Now is the time for lying back to appreciate the warm sunshine, gentle breezes and picnics. And the perfect soundtrack for these times has arrived in the form of a young folk singer by the name of Angharad Drake.
Sweet, infectious melodies that carelessly burrow themselves into your consciousness that are coupled with gentle guitar parts are all part of the folk staple. But it is the poetry of Angharad Drake which is truly mesmerising, the young singer catching the casual listener off guard and pulling them into her world.
If you’re knowledgable of the Brisbane music scene then perhaps you’ve stumbled upon young Angharad, who has been performing her inspired folk music live for the last few years, including appearances at Caloundra Music Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and Palm Creek Folk Festival in Far North Queensland. She has certainly been making a name for herself, her hypnotising melodies and her penchant for tragic stories setting her apart from your standard singer-songwriter.
Her new EP Swing is a great place to get yourself with Angharad’s wonderful music which collectively tells the tale of youth, regret, seeking redemption and moving on from pain. Her minimalist approach to her music really helps carry these themes over, as each of these songs simply consist of Angharad’s sweet voice, gently plucked guitar and a staple of folk music, the dulcimer.
Rebecca pulls you into Angharad’s world; it is soft and intimate, enticing you to lean closer to your speakers as if she is singing only to you. As gentle percussion creeps onto the track, ideas of learning to love and falling out of love swarm the senses. Angharad’s knack for appealing to such a universally experienced feeling is quite wonderfully done as she examines such a thing through her own personal lens, yet at the same time you can’t help but empathise.
Lyrics like “This gun is loaded, uh oh” from Gun make for a simple yet effective metaphor for regret and recognising past mistakes. Remedy continues this trend and is quite heartbreaking, transitions from a sad, gentle folk piece to a more optimistic outlook, full strumming guitars, tambourines and layered vocals. Meanwhile No One is incredibly beautiful as it revels in its own melancholy. “And it hurts when I’m along but empty’s all I’ve ever known, so the pain inside my heart can keep me comfort” is one hell of a line, and if you have experienced loneliness it will hit you right where it hurts.
Each of these tracks deals with overcoming such circumstances whilst also bearing ideas of rebirth and the hope of moving on to something better. All of this is a success ultimately because of Angharad’s majestic voice. There are no needless vocal gymnastics to be heard, her control over her voice makes itself quite evident as she croons gently and paints pictures of loves long lost.
Saunter over to her YouTube page and you’ll be treated to her killer cover of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love.
Angharad is no stranger to performing live, so she will definitely be worth seeing live, and you can check out her Facebook for touring information.
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