Today marks the release of Holly Blackshaw‘s debut single ‘Way Out West‘ on Cambrian Records, the Welsh independent label run by guitarist Toby Hay. While the label has been a home for much of Toby’s solo and collaborative outputs, he has also featured a number of solo artists, including Jim Ghedi, Duski, Gavin Prior, Sky Barkers, David Ian Roberts and Rusalnaia (Gillian Chadwick and Sharron Kraus). It’s a roster of artists and music I could happily lose myself in for hours – the musical equivalent of discovering a less-beaten track with tranquil views and it’s the perfect home from which to launch Holly’s debut single taken from her forthcoming EP.
Born and raised in and around Hull, East Yorkshire, Holly was a member of the psych/rock/folk band Crooked Weather whom I first came across in 2017. Holly left the band in 2020 and moved to Mid-Wales during the pandemic.
Last month, Tompkins Square released their Yorkshire tribute to Michael Chapman – Imaginational Anthem vol. XII: I Thought I Told You – A Yorkshire Tribute to Michael Chapman, curated by Henry Parker, which also marked Holly’s return to a music career as a solo artist. In his album review, Glenn Kimpton wrote: of how Holly sings a gorgeous, ethereal version of March Rain from Fully Qualified Survivor…with her choice of high reverb on electric guitar and strings bringing a unique atmosphere to the song.
Recorded and mixed by Toby at Tŷ Hyll Studio, ‘Way Out West‘ takes that unique atmosphere to another level, an offering that lays the groundwork for an incredibly promising solo career. The song opens to a lone organ then a wash of strings before hearing Holly’s ethereal vocals, a sweet-sounding cadence coloured by pastoral psychedelic shades and enhanced by gentle waves of vocal backing and tranquil harmonies.
Holly shared the following:
“It tends to take me a long time to process things; three years ago, I moved from Hull, East Yorkshire, to rural Mid-Wales, from the flatlands to the hills, and only now there’s a song.
There’s a lot in a place, and having been in a band in Hull for several years, it felt right that my first release as a solo artist floated around the idea of change.
The hills still feel like a novelty, and the weather clings onto them in the most beautiful ways. I’m very lucky to have loved where I’ve been and love where I am. This is the first single from an upcoming EP, which I can’t wait to share”
Way Out West is also our Song of the Day.
The single is available via Bandcamp: https://hollyblackshaw.bandcamp.com/track/way-out-west-2
Website: https://www.hollyblackshaw.com/
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