Somewhere in the middle of last month’s June MuuTunes, I included Gorgon City‘s latest, greatest dance floor gem, “Here For You,” featuring a UK singer-songwriter ‘on the rise’ named Laura Welsh.
It’s time now to get better acquainted.
The London-based singer-songstress has had her fair share of success from the get go, beginning with last year’s “Cold Front,” which wound up being featured on this season of Grey’s Anatomy. And then, the terrific Gorgon City collaboration, which rocketed to the UK Top 5 in late May.
But it’s her upcoming single due out in August, “Break The Fall” (above), that seals the deal, playing like a perfect storm of some of pop’s most distinct chanteuses: The rollicking stomp of Adele (“Rumor Has It”-ish), the almighty howl of Florence + The Machine and maybe even some of the darker strokes of BANKS and Fiona Apple. So basically, the perfect woman?
“I wanna love you but I’m just too cynical,” she warns. (I’m not too cynical to love that chorus, for the record.)
Conveniently, Laura’s inked a deal with Island Records in the US, and a debut EP has just quietly dropped today. The 4-track collection includes “Cold Front” and “Break The Fall,” as well as a track called “Ghosts” and “Hardest Part,” co-written with “All Of Me” crooner/Chrissy Teigen‘s husband, John Legend. It’s a solid and captivating listen from start to finish and, more importantly, an exciting indication of what’s still to come.
Between the Gorgon City floor-filler and this incredibly promising new EP, Laura’s vocal versatility and lyrical complexity all position her as a major new player in the pop scene in 2014. Translation? Sam Smith, watch your wig. (This is a playful joke I have made and not shade — please don’t come for me, Internet. I’m really over your shit.)
The ‘Laura Welsh EP’ was released on July 10. (iTunes)