After a busy 2023, including the release of an EP, ‘Save You’, Louisa has greeted 2024 with a debut album named ‘SPIN’. For those unfamiliar with her music, Louisa Sawyer is a London-based singer/songwriter, focusing primarily on electro-chill, indie pop. Joyzine dutifully rushed to the occasion of this new release to inquire about the contents of the album and the sources of its creativity. According to the press release, ”SPIN’ is a metaphorical road trip across America from day into night, crossing the states of rebellion and anguish, love and loss, with tracks that really rock and ballads aiming to hit you right in the heart. All tracks on the album are by Louisa, in collaboration with the following people: Charlie Shaw, James Batchelar, Eric Batchelar, James Cunningham and Al Stein. Additionally, all proceeds from this album – and streams by Louisa in 2024 – go towards the National Autistic Society.
But first, we’re naturally curious. What were/are Louisa’s main musical influences? Louisa: ‘I remember hearing the score for ET when I was 3, and it made me so emotional I cried my eyes out. Music always reaches deep inside me and distracts me like nothing else can. I also remember hearing Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush when I was young and thinking it was the most magical thing I had ever heard. I didn’t even understand the words she was singing. I wanted to write something that felt a bit like that song, and Muse was a single (a few years ago) that for me came close. Nobody can match Kate though! I am a big fan of Taylor Swift these days, such a powerhouse, but also love a lot of Indie artists. I think Bat for Lashes is great and have always enjoyed the work of Tori Amos. The song Happy Phantom holds extra significance for me lately. (Thanks Mum, I got your message.)’
So, on to the debut album release. ‘SPIN’ begins in lively fashion with a great singalong, rock/blues track called ‘Devil In The Diner’. Louisa: ‘This one is all about temptation, and giving in to it. Not always the best idea! It was written between four of us. I like its playful nature’. It’s certainly a fun track and a fabulous, rhythmic opener, dripping in classic elements of rock/blues/country vibes with a backing organ accompaniment that comes right out of the 1960’s.
Next up is the title track, ‘Spin’. Louisa: ‘This is a bit of an anthem to freedom and doing something wild and unexpected, something just for you. It’s been called a love song, but I don’t really think it is one. It’s a road trip song and needs to be yelled. It’s probably the happiest track on the album’. This is a track with excellent percussive ingredients and driving guitars. As always with Louisa’s compositions, the lyrics are deep and meaningful, complimented by perfectly-balanced harmonies.
Next up, my current favourite song on the album, ‘Rock and Roll Heart’. As someone raised firmly on classic rock and roll/blues, this track just hits the spot and one can easily imagine a certain Mr. Jools Holland accompanying Louisa’s voice on his piano. A thumping beat and enticing vocals enhance the much-anticipated middle-eight piano solo, which definitely did not disappoint. Louisa: ‘Rock chicks unite. This one is a little aggressive towards the Patriarchy I guess. But again, it’s a fun song at heart that brings to mind the 1950s’. Totally agree, as the music and vocals immediately made me think of Jerry Lee Lewis belting this out, circa 1959.
Melodic piano and a pulsating bass drum lead into guitars and organ in the next track, ‘Rock Bottom’, apparently written about a real person, who shall remain anonymous. This track has a very catchy chorus and the harmonious backing vocals are once more spot on, creating a strong ambience throughout.
’Wildfire’ begins at a gentler pace, accompanied by acoustic guitar and comprising powerful lyrics alongside a memorable rhythmic melody. Louisa: ‘Wildfire’ was written almost in full upon waking from a dream of a Stetson hat sinking to the bottom of a clear blue ocean, with the words ‘We were wildfire’ whispered in my ear. I knew I would have to have a little country and western, hinted at throughout the album’.
The very short track, ‘Drive By Night’, begins with some haunting vocals/harmonies and a spatial acoustic guitar; conjuring up atmospheric images of listening to this beneath a full moon and contemplating the meaning of life. Louisa: ‘This track is a pretty little interlude about an American housewife, realising that she may have taken the wrong turn on the journey’.
Next up is ‘It’s Not About Me’, again reflecting a gentler tone and ambience, beautifully aided by some awesome guitar work. The lyrics tell a reflective, detailed story, with a very strong, toe-tapping chorus. Louisa: ‘With this track the music was definitely first (thank you Charlie) and I think I wrote the lyrics in about 20 minutes. I pictured a little love triangle starting in an American high school and spanning years. This song is torn in half. Is it Country or is it Rock?’
‘Can’t Be Me (The Darkest Road)’ begins with a strumming acoustic guitar and immediately conjures up images of singing around a campfire. Louisa’s vocals and harmonies lift the melody up to new energy levels, amplifying the dreamy, esoteric atmosphere within the song. With this track, it truly feels as if Louisa is singing to us from her heart. Louisa: ‘It’s simplistic, honest and sad but real pretty. I think the hero of this piece is the loyal wife who barely even gets a mention. She really ought to have her revenge – that’s one for another song’.
The penultimate track is ‘Small Town Story’. Louisa: ‘An old friend helped me complete this song (which I’d been spinning the wheels on for about 3 years) and this one is a love story gone awry. To my mind it sounds a bit country although not many others seem to agree. I love the closing lyrics and ending the most, and that was where the album was supposed to conclude, but then…’. This track is a sublime cocktail of melodies colliding and blending in perfect harmony, helped along the way by a range of different musical instruments. Again, I loved the classic organ sounds, which ran throughout the entire song and seemed to connect everything together so well.
The final song on the album is ‘For Anneke’. Louisa: ‘I felt I owed another very dear old friend of mine a beautiful song. She let me sing at her wedding and has been there for me through so much over the years, it was the least she deserved. So yes, this one is another ‘love’ song’. It’s certainly a feelgood, piano-led track that everyone could take inspiration from and Louisa translates her feelings upon the friendship perfectly.
I was curious and asked Louisa what came first when she was composing – the music or lyrics? Louisa:‘I always prefer to have the music first, and then very quickly, if the music is good, a song can take shape. I often say that for me crafting a song is like hearing a faint melody or a conversation from another room that you can’t ignore. I can lose several hours to writing a song and have no idea where the time went or how the idea was ignited! For my track Wildfire, that was born of a dream I had and upon waking the lyrics and melody were instantaneous. It remains one of my favourites’.
While reviewing ”SPIN’, I was very impressed by the combination of different musical elements that have gone into this collection. The tracks range from strong rock pieces that urge the listener to stamp their feet, to simple – yet concise – acoustic tracks, that create an easy sensation of swaying along to the melodies. As always, Louisa’s vocals are crystal clear and effortlessly digested. The album’s production is top notch, as are inputs from all musicians involved here. ‘SPIN’ deserves to be heard by a wide audience, as it perfectly highlights Louisa’s strong composition skills, alongside her haunting vocals. This is a perfect album to have playing in the car and will naturally induce the aforementioned expressions of toe/steering-wheel tapping and gentle chair swaying.
Before leaving, I wanted to ask Louisa about future plans, now that her debut album is out there. Louisa: ‘Later on this year, and in 2025, you can expect several collaborative projects to be released which are very different from this debut album. I have been working closely with Most Epic Dream over the last 6 months. He’s a musician that I absolutely clicked with straight away. I’m open to collaborations but I do have my faves!’
Louisa’s musical career is definitely one to watch and Joyzine will be intrigued to follow the creative pathways as they unfold.
Article by Kevin J Milsom
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