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Lou McLean – Locked Down in Leith

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Due to be released on the 8th of March, Locked Down in Leith is the new five track EP from Edinburgh singer-songwriter Lou McLean.  A record of her own experience of lockdown, it is sure to  resonate with all those dealing with the loss of so many of life’s certainties whilst yearning for a return to normality.

Opening song Goodbye sums up the feelings of helplessness and vulnerability so many of us have felt as the events of the past year unfolded before us. Lou McLean’s clever lyrics ensure that this is no mere gloom- fest though.  You can only smile as she asks, ‘Can I turn this crisis in to a banging song?’ (The answer, by the way,  is an emphatic yes.)

Adventures in Vulnerability contains one of the most heartbreakingly honest opening verses you are likely to hear this year or any other year. In just a few short lines the long-term damage caused by a past traumatic event is laid bare. The sparse arrangement and Lou Mclean’s tender vocals capture the  raw emotion of the lyrics perfectly.

The World is on Fire provides a wonderfully wistful few minutes as the singer contemplates past relationships with others and herself. It’s a lovely wee reminder of the importance of dealing with the self-doubt that hits us all occasionally.

Let’s Dance flows from the speakers like a soothing balm. Lou McLean’s vocals make for a comfortingly warm listen here. The wit in her lyrics is never too far from the surface of this one either.

What we all want from this lock down is a happy ending and that is exactly what Lou Mclean gives us with the final track , Glam Bam. Those carefree days in a new relationship when ‘the rules don’t apply when it feels right’ are relayed perfectly. It is an uplifting note to end on.

Locked Down in Leith sees Lou Mclean build on the firm foundations of her 2017 collection, Good Morning Easter Road.   This feels like a real step forward.  Let’s hope that there is a full album to come in the not too distant future.

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Locked Down in Leith is available to pre-buy HERE

Buy Locked Down in Leith  at loumcleanmusic.bandcamp.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home, Music

Good Morning Easter Road – The New EP from Lou Mclean.

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Good Morning Easter Road is the new EP from Leith based singer songwriter Lou Mclean. It’s a diverse collection,  joyous, occasionally bleak yet always heartfelt and often genuinely moving.

Things kick off with’ Empty Cans.’ Accompanied only by her acoustic guitar it’s a wry commentary on a relationship gone wrong. The narrator won’t be broken though, as the story unfolds a spirited air of defiance replaces failed attempts to soothe the heartache with alcohol. ‘Bedtime Reading’ is a wonderful mix of comedy and shrewd observation. The songs punchline is set up beautifully as the singer shuns ‘piss ups and kissing’ for the joys of literature and cheese toasties.

The mood changes completely on ‘Play Dead’ as a much darker story of an abusive relationship is played out. It makes for uncomfortable listening as self doubt leads to denial.

‘Green Shirt, Blue Eyes’ is a wonderful piece of storytelling. It begins as one of the pacier tracks as the singer acts on her friends advice to head out on the town and get on with life. Things take a magical turn with an encounter in a Leith pub and as we hear the line, ‘then in you rolled, delayed by a last minute goal’ things don’t just slow down, for a split second the action seems to stop. It’s a wonderfully cinematic moment, the scene burned in to the mind like a screenshot. As the song drifts to a dreamy conclusion it should leave even the most cynical heart that little bit warmer.

Final track ‘Poets and Flat Caps’ sees the singer in combative mood and Mclean hits several bullseyes with her acerbic put downs. Impassioned, witty and distinctly uncompromising it would be fair to say that the singer had saved the best for last.

it is always thrilling hearing an artist in the early stages of their musical journey. With ‘Good Morning Easter Road’ Lou Mclean has certainly whetted the appetite for more with more than enough potential shown across these five tracks to suggest a bright future ahead.

The EP is officialy launched at Leith Depot on Thursday 8th June.

Buy, Buy, Buy it HERE.

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