Tamara S’s debut album Where Are The Butterflies?, a collaboration with Oliver Rees, is a diary sung. Sharing the fears, joys, and inner‑dialogues we experience moving through life. Using the rhythmic, soulful, move‑y power of R&B and hip‑hop, the music pushes more meaning than the lyrics already so beautifully do.
By Katie Stewart
The opening track, True To Me, immediately shows off the Leeds’ artist’s strong and fluid vocals, indulgent for listeners straight off the starting line. Addictive and soothing – this sense of morish-ness is present throughout the entire album. An edgier, minimalist, crispy electric‑guitar riff matches the positive, relaxed tone of the song, with notes floating along like clouds in the sky – breezy, colourful, summery. Wah‑wah guitar leans into the R&B inspiration, groovy and rich, elegantly woven throughout, before smoothly gliding into a satisfying, crunchy electric‑guitar break. This solo really shows off the song’s themes of pride and strength – remaining low‑key and humble but breaking through with an assertive moodiness. True to Me is a fitting introduction to Tamara’s autobiographical debut: moments of brightness, optimism and gratitude balanced with self‑reflection and wistful reminiscence.
The second track, Little Things, flows elegantly on from this; its plucky, clean guitar grooves combined with fun vocal riffing; runs and melodic backing vocals ooze ease and freedom. Throughout the album, Tamara’s harmonies and runs aren’t obvious – they’re skilful, passionate and intentionally obscure. In tracks like Little Things, Butterfly and ADHD, the basslines are particularly chewy, carrying weighty momentum, and grounding the classic R&B vocals. This is especially effective in moments that shift in tempo, fluttering from rhythmic and talkative to breezy and smooth.
Love for Life brings a reggae‑beats sound, elegantly leading the album down a new, unexplored path. The sweet, beachy, bright steel‑drum elements meld with more typical percussion and a vibey bassline so effortlessly, reflecting the happy, romantic, dreamy lyrics about positivity and living a vibrant life. The addition of soulful saxophone is genius here. The song presents a joyous, simple message about appreciating the little things and pushing through difficult times through love, but delivers it in a musically rich and complex way; each musical element melding flawlessly, yet shining in their own expressive ways.
I Don’t Like It feels starkly different, yet perfectly in its place. Dark, deep, and powerful, it shows off the album’s capacity as a window into Tamara’s mind – restlessness, sorrow, pining with the state of the world. Metaphors, narrative lyrics, waves washing over, a building wind‑section, deep pounding percussion and confronting crash cymbals create a symphony that can’t be ignored. The phrase “I Don’t Like It” is simple – catchy in its R&B delivery – but the oppressive instrumental and Tamara’s outpour of lyrical imagery during verses reveal its true complexity, highlighting this artist’s range of storytelling and her ability to push narrative through musical elements as much as through words.
Where Are The Butterflies? is out now; you can give it a listen below.