Totnes-based Sounds Like Lily, fronted by eighteen-year-old Lily Mackay, first hit our radar at the end of October thanks to her dream pop wonder The Feeling. The track features on her debut seven track EP Glad I Met Ya which I just had to check out.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by Simon Congdon

For the past four years, Lily has been with multi-instrumentalist Rowland O’Connor, and the pair have teamed up with producers Jimi Stewart and Tommy Williams (who has also worked with Arlo Parks and Bonobo, among others) to create this EP. Lily also wrote the songs and co-produced so it feels very much a personal collection.

A short, dreamy Intro gives us the treat of Lily’s vocalisations, which feel like a siren song beckoning us in. It leads seamlessly into Daydreaming, a previously-released single that draws on soul and jazz influences. Fans of the aforementioned Arlo Parks will appreciate it.

Cupid delivers an intimate ballad based on the famous Greek myth before we get to title track Glad I Met You at the EP’s midpoint. It’s a gloomy but textured track that reflects its edgy subject matter. It definitely feels like an EP highlight.

The Feeling opens the EP’s final leg, nicely placed with its laidback vibe. Lily wrote the track when she was thirteen but it holds its own against the other tracks here. The EP’s final single Penny is also the final full track. It provides a vibrant, groovy storytelling sting in the tale before a swelling Outro bookends the collection.

Glad I Met Ya is a stunning debut from a young artist that has the world at her feet. If you’re a fan of soulful and dreamy pop then you might just find your next new favourite artist in Sounds Like Lily. You can give the whole EP a listen below.