L.Mayland - The Slow Fire Of Sleep

The opening moments of this EP – the first material to emerge from this solo project of The Last Dinner Party guitarist Lizzie Mayland - introduce an intimate dialogue, with little left unsaid. The guitar strikes that signal ‘Mother Mother’ arrive with the kind of fervour usually reserved for more developed moments, but Lizzie isn’t one to hold back. The song not only showcases their guitar skills, but stunning vocal technique too, exercising their full range to great effect while leaning on some neatly-painted lyrics. Their creative flower continues to bloom throughout, while themes of loneliness, introspection, romance - and in the title track, environmental frustration - are explored. That closer turns the drama up, too, increasing its impact via clever variations in style and volume. The songs here are firmly rooted in folk tradition, but ‘The Slow Fire Of Sleep’ also showcases a healthy bias towards experimentation from an overflowing creative brain.