Louise Distras
Wakefield singer-songwriter Louise Distras has been making waves in the underground punk scene, and her second EP makes it clear why.
Despite any female acoustic folk singers inevitably drawing comparisons to the likes of Brit-winner Laura Marling, Distras is most definitely not from the same ilk as the more polished artists of the genre.
Her rough, but somehow soothing, vocals define the EP and her sound as a whole, creating an unmistakable sound complemented well by the minimal acoustic approach Distras takes.
Bullets is one of the best she’s penned thus far, with an almost gospel-like chorus and a well-placed cowbell, seeing her strengths played too. Her vocals are almost snarling, creating incredible emotion on such an intimate track.
Heartstrings on a Handgrenade is a slight improvement on last year’s Spiders EP. The tracks there, whilst good, were a bit more simplistic than we hear on the new EP. It’s a slightly more mature sound that shows Distras’ talent as a songwriter and musician.
This Is Your Life starts with a slightly disjoined introduction, but develops into a beautiful song once again carried by some wonderfully raw vocals. Such passion is sadly missing from a lot of mainstream music, so it’s brilliant to hear it on this record.
The EP ends with the fantastically catchy and upbeat Blue On Black, with a whistled hook that seems tongue in cheek, whilst fitting perfectly.
Overall, Distras has once again hit gold with her second EP, and bigger things are surely on the horizon. Her DIY work ethic may make it difficult at times, but if it keeps resulting in honest, raw and beautiful EPs like this, then we can’t have any complaints.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge