Rachel Alice Johnson is an Edinburgh College of Art grad and self-taught musician releasing her debut EP, the suitably light night friendly 2am.
Lead single ‘Lights On’ is a bold statement of intent, mixing St Vincent’s fiery guitar, soaring vocals and a chorus hook – “come over, come over, come over, I’ll fuck you right” – that is guaranteed to grab the audience’s attention.
From the off, this singer-songwriter seems determined to prove that she’s no shrinking violet and by pushing herself further than many of her contemporaries she marks herself out as a bold new talent.
Trying on the guises of the most popular singer songwriters of the last decade ‘Hungry’ channels the noisy alt-rock precociousness of Wolf Alice, with galloping drums and fuzzy guitars that fizz and pop with youthful exuberance.
Delving further into the past, there’s a touch of The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan on ‘Think Slow’, a spooky pop-rock tale that builds form a whisper to a shout, while ‘Pass the Time’ sounds like someone loosely riffing on the Florence & the Machine cover of ‘You Got the Love’.
The latter is the least distinctive track on the record, as Johnson struggles to imprint her massive personality on a fairly ponderous track.
Overall though, 2am is a perfect late night record, capable of both twinkling in the street lights and hurling a brick through the window of all those in Johnson’s path; an exciting new talent is here.
Worrds: Max Sefton
