I loved Lapsley‘s (Holly Lapsley Fletcher) music  from the first moment I heard her track Falling Short. She’s finally released the twelve track Long Way Home after drip feeding single after single. Lapsley is a young artist (only 19 years old) who sounds like she’s been around for a while. Her music is polished but not scraped clean of all the interesting parts. She sits firmly in that Brit mould of musicians like James Blake, with their spare electronic sound and strong vocals. I always thought a male was singing with her, but no that’s Lapsley doing technical things to her voice. Clever.

Lapsley‘s music has quirky flourishes that set it apart, and feels at its best on the more introspective, brooding numbers like Falling Short. This is electro pop but a moody fashioning on the style. It’s not all downbeat though. New track Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me breaks free from her standard slower tempo and comes across as an upbeat Motown infused soul number. Love Is Blind is less successful at moving away form the sparseness. It switches over to MOR territory, sounding a little Adele like without the vocal surges. Overall though Long Way Home is a strong debut and flows smoothly. Perhaps it could do with some electric moments, as it could fall flat for those who need more spark and sizzle. Still, she’s one to watch.

Have a listen to Cliff, the most recent single :