Laura DiStasi’s music is fragile and broken yet somehow manages to feel so much more than the sum of its parts. Across the four tracks on this EP I felt like I’d been let into a window of so much more than I had heard. That’s the mark of a great musical artist.
“Colours and Shapes” opens with a simple piano/guitar riff with Laura’s hushed vocals washing against the echo brushed percussion. It’s production echofades across the speakers and warms your ears although the song is a meloncholy one. “Humming Along” reminds me of the debut album Bat for Lashes crossed with Julia Marcell’s album. A catchy minimalist track with just piano, percussion and vocals to fill the speakers. If I were to be critical, it sounds slightly wooden but then that’s part of the appeal – like everythings about to collapse. “Go On” is a very slow waltz which feels slightly too long for my liking but it does hold a certain emotional space. Maybe I’ve not been in the mood for slow ballads lately! “Covered in Snow” closes the EP with a beautiful piano /vocal track which highlights Laura’s vocal techniques and more fluid piano playing.
I must say, reading back over the review I’ve not been particularly heaping the praise on this EP but as I mentioned at the beginning, there’s just something. Maybe its the weighty voice, the minimal production, the weariness across every note played. Something elevates it much higher than what’s really there… and that is Laura DiStasi.