Låpsley – Long Way Home

Despite making her name, initially, with spectral, minimalist bedroom productions, Liverpudlian artist Låpsley explores new territory on her debut Long Way Home. The tracks that earned the attention of her home city’s GIT (Get Into This) Award – Station, Painter – are present and correct, nestled in among aspiring pop ballads (Hurt Me, Love Is Blind) and ambient piano soul (Falling Short, Silverlake), all linked by her strong diva vocal and well crafted lyrics.

It’s the surprise 60s soul hit, Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me), that stands out as a real graduation of her sound. Though she’s surely too young to have ever needed an operator to connect her calls, there’s a compelling authenticity to the track, and not just vocally. Meanwhile, Cliff knocks politely on deep house’s door, and recalls the pared-down beats of her early Soundcloud offerings. Though she’s on the edge of slipping into Adele-esque poperatics, this is a bold and confident first LP from a producer – and singer – with great potential.