Liverpool-based folk singer songwriter Jessica Dives is set to release charming debut EP, Halfway Lost.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Danny Burns – L1 Photography
Halfway Lost is five tracks connected by a sense of searching and longing and provides a varied tapestry that showcases why Jessica is such an exciting artist.
The EP opens with the vibrant acoustic of No One (Ever Saw Me This Way). Jessica’s characterful vocals are instantly captivating. They are full of emotion in the first verse before becoming lively and lilting in a cathartic chorus that’s full of love. I found myself instantly hooked.
One Hand To The Wall has been released from the EP today, teasing what’s to come. It is a delicate and reflective moment with lyrics full of poetry. The pleading, melancholic and cinematic Where Are You? is set to follow in a couple of weeks.
The album is completed by the atmospheric Little Boat Hold Steady and the joyful Last Dance. The former is a stripped-back, storytelling number that inspired the album’s artwork (created by Savannah Storm). The latter pays tribute to dear friends lost along the way and is a bright celebration of life and movement.
It’s difficult to breathe new life into a genre as established as folk, yet Jessica’s charming debut has done just that. Her lyrics are full of wisdom and emotion, enhanced with autobiographical detail and brought to life through compositions that feel at once familiar and fresh. I think she’ll find more than a few fans with this EP.
Halfway Lost was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Rich Harris-Bond of Wise Tree Studios, and was mastered by Jason Mitchell of Loud Mastering. Featuring on the EP alongside Jessica is Andrew Lockhart on drums, Rich Harris-Bond on clarinet and Amy Chalmers on violin.
The EP is set for release on 14 November 2024. You can pre-save it here.