Little Lapin – Wake up with the Sun
Independent – 14 April 2017
English singer/songwriter Little Lapin grew up in coastal Plymouth (Devon), launched her music career in New Zealand and now lives in rural Cornwall. Her new folk/pop, folk/rock album, Wake up with the Sun – with its space, simplicity and connectedness to the natural environment – seems to reflect those places, with the added complexity of human nature and personal interactions.
Little Lapin took her performing name (little rabbit) from a schooldays nickname. She began her music path playing the flute, then progressed to the piano and later to guitar. While a young adult living in New Zealand, she was part of the alt-pop/rock band, Hand Me Downs – being the second youngest of six children, hand me downs were part of Little Lapin’s early life. Just over three years ago, Little Lapin released her debut solo recording, a self-titled EP.
On Wake up with the Sun, her third official solo album, Little Lapin (vocals, acoustic guitar) is supported by Samuel C Roberts (bass, keyboards, guitar, drums, percussion) and Alex Hill (harmonica). The album artwork was done by Dmitry Panfilov.
Wake up with the Sun opens with the jaunty title track, which tells of getting back to the simple life. And it closes with I Told You So, a sad ballad about the damage that people can do to others.
Isn’t Life for Living is an anthem of hope and liberation, often upbeat, sometimes defiant. Darker songs are the folk/rock Narrabeen (ostensibly about a missing woman, but hinting at the seeking of resolution to feelings of discontent) and Luna (with its painful thoughts – “I lie in anger / Too bitter to eat, too bitter to sleep”).
In her song, Need a Change of Scene, Little Lapin uses verses alternating in musical and lyrical style to create a song of contrasting voices.
Little Lapin’s Wake up with the Sun is fresh (both musically and lyrically), personal (whilst also universal), simple (yet complex) and full of contrasting styles (both between and within songs). A delightful album.