This week, my new music featured artist is one I have featured in a Tracks of the Week post about 3 or 4 weeks ago now and knew was one I was going to write about in greater detail as I know her and her angelic voice is something you all need to know about. The girl is Lyla Foy, a 25 year old singer/songwriter from London. She is currently signed to Sub Pop Records and has released her debut album ‘Mirrors The Sky’ back in March, the track below is from that release.
‘Feather Tongue’ sees Foy deep, almost dubby electronic bass sounds and mix them a drum machine and robotic style noises before adding her gentle voice which has a level of emotion and clarity that really is quite wonderful to listen to. It’s mainly a sparse song that lets the words do the talking and the focus be on the bass and it’s brilliant much like ‘Left To Wonder’ which again takes deep plucked bass strings and steady, calm vocals being the main focus. Vocals are big, echoey and fill the track, a prominent beat and atmospheric organ-style notes play in the background taking this track from its basic, sparse roots to a well rounded masterpiece.
After years of collaborating with other artists, Foy decided to go it alone and focus on her own music one night back in 2012 when she cancelled her plans for that evening and went home to work on her own music. Since then, she has been focussed on creating and making her own musical career path something that has paid off with the recent release of her debut which is gaining brilliant reviews all over the place with Pitchfork’s Stephen M.Deusner saying; “Foy’s songs are both lush and low-key, intimate and surprisingly intricate. She layers beats generously but carefully, alternating between buoyant… and bittersweet…”
The first single she released was called ‘No Secrets’ under the name of WALL which was greeted with praise for it’s stripped back and minimal sounds that made it all about the strong bass lines and layers of melodies. Since that first single she has recorded a Black Cab session [a very popular internet music performance series where artists perform in the back of a black cab] and had her track ‘Magazine’ named favourite song of the year by Steve Lamacq back in 2012.
With so many people with nothing but good words to say about her, a big fanbase already, plenty of gigs under her belt and more to play and the release of that debut, it seems like nothing will be stopping Foy from becoming a big name in the mainstream music scene right now. With such wonderful sounds, she really is an artist that I admire and love her sound so much.
In terms of live shows, she is currently touring across Europe and will be playing plenty of her own shows and festival slots between now and the end of August. Shows in the UK will include a slot at Glastonbury on 29th June and 2 slots at End of the Road Festival in Dorset at the end of August as well as a few shows in Glasgow, Cambridge and North Yorkshire, find out more here.
To find out more about Lyla and her music visit her website, her Facebook page or listen via her Soundcloud page. You can also follow her on Twitter – @lylafoy or Instagram – @lylafoy
Check out the video for single ‘Left To Wonder’ below:
Mixtape Couture 