EP review: LITTLE LORE – River Stories

LITTLE LORE – River Stories

Bandcamp [Release date 04.04.25]

Little Lore is back with another EP and one with an interesting back story. Over to Little Lore for more on the EP’s creation – “In November 2023, I was invited to become songwriter in residency on Johnson’s Island – a tiny land mass in the mouth of the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent in Brentford, and home to fifteen or so artists’ studio. My idea was born when I called my friend, the artist Angela Chan, who has a studio on the island. I asked her whether she thought that the artists who work there would be willing to let me come and visit them or interview them to see if that would stimulate some songs. I had four days in the studio and I imagined I would write about the artists and the huge changes that Brentford in West London is undergoing. But a week before the residency I got a call letting me know that the island had been flooded and that the residency was in jeopardy. I sat down and wrote ‘The River’ – reflecting on the incredible power the river has to calm us with her beauty but also destroy.”

“Against all the odds, the studios dried out and the residency went ahead, as planned. I arrived full of enthusiasm…I dropped my gear into the studio and went to see who else was working on the island – only to find that I was the only person there! None of the other artists were in their studios that morning – I mean it was pretty early. The project was not going at all as I had planned. I sat in the studio looking at the river and my mind started to wander to my relationship with water. I sketched a time line of my entire life noting any river or water related incidents or interactions from my birth to present. I can’t imagine living anywhere that wasn’t within a few minutes’ walk of a river or estuary of some kind.”

The EP was produced by Oli Deakin, who also played all the instruments bar Francesca Dardani on violin, Sasha Ono on cello and Morgan Karabel on drums.

Six songs, all beautifully sung and arranged, with plenty of musical depth as can be heard on ‘Run with the Tide’ or stripped back to vocals and guitar on ‘The River’. This song highlights the soothing vocals of Little Lore, easy on the ear, as well as being enchanting lyrically.

‘I Can Breathe Underwater’ is one of her strongest songs to date, with an instant, memorable chorus that could, in an ideal world, grace the playlists on daytime radio. The jaunty ‘Johnson’s Island’ is another jostling for the EP’s stand out song.

Special mention to the production which allows the vocals and instruments equally billing, sounding that extra bit special on headphones.

An EP awash with musical ideas and joyful melodies, as Little Lore continues to impress musically, and this could be the EP to finally gain her the success she deserves. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie


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