Dreary Town

Having only signed with Apollo Records back in February this year, Nadine Shah certainly didn’t hang around in releasing a follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2012 EP ‘Aching Bones’, and not-surprisingly, her three-track, ‘Dreary Town’ EP is hotly tipped for success, too.

Opener, ‘Dreary Town’, begins with a somber piano riff before Shah’s distinctive, lip-quivering vocals swell and flourish beautifully. The most personal of the tracks, the song starts to take shape as agitated strings create an uneasy tension and Shah’s vocals grow more and more anguished. This was in fact the track that convinced producer, Ben Hillier (The Horrors, Blur, Depeche Mode), to work with her.

‘Bobby Heron’ is where Shah’s unique character as an artist really shines through. The husky tones of her North-Eastern accent, combined with menacing guitar chops and tales of death at sea make for a brilliantly dramatic track.

Closing the EP is an inventive cover of ‘Cry Me a River’; a song Nadine used to perform in her younger jazz-singer days. A spooky and sinister track, the piano and whirling soundscapes are relentless, whilst Nadine’s vocals are dripping with soul and emotion of someone far beyond her years. You can expect to hear a lot more from this songstress in the coming months.

Dreary Town EP was recorded in The Pool.

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