Willie J Healey - 666 Kill

On 2017 debut ‘People and Their Dogs’, Oxford boy Willie J Healey landed at the more affable end of the singer songwriter canon. Though there remained a solid dose of introversion involved in his lo-fi jangles, there was a Mac DeMarco-esque twinkle in the eye that sparkled throughout.

One year on and instead there’s a gentle sadness to ‘666 Kill’ that permeates its six tracks of intimate, Neil Young-recalling acoustics. ‘Lovelawn’ pits surprisingly graphic morbidity against the sweetest guitars around; ‘Guitar Music’ ironically runs on slow, nocturnal piano plonks, while its title is a gorgeous, porch-side ode to death. Not to wish ill on the poor lad, but melancholy suits him well.