If you have not already jumped aboard the Leah Belle Faser Express then a second invite is shortly about to land in the shape of her latest single "Back Home". Rarely has an emerging artist got us quite so excited but this young lady simply defies all logic, writing and performing at a level way beyond her years. Her debut EP "Crossing Hermi's Bridge" is literally going to blow peoples minds but you'll need to wait until October 16th before that lands, so in the meantime let's dig into "Back Home".
It deals with a quite mature subject, somebody moving away from a rural existence to take their chance in a big metropolis and then finding that the grass is not always greener. It place them in a quandary having to say all is going well while pining for the simple pleasures of home. Leah, as in her debut single has a delicate turn of phrase and her writing paints vivid pictures, you'll feel you know the subject of this song three and half minutes after it starts and that is an exceptional talent to possess.
A gentle twenty second intro musically sets the scene before Leah even utters the first phrase, and immediately we are hit with a touch of alliteration where the folk around her are "drowning in deadlines and i'm all alone at my desk late at night", The imagery is so well defined and the feeling of being alone where "cold souls in trench coats stare through me", where after getting off the train, she knows it is "just 8 hours till the next lifeless day begins" is frighteningly real.
The chorus paints a tragic dilemma, not wanting to let people's expectations down "they told me to fly and I've flown" while at the same time missing the comforts of home "where the girl at the drugs store knows my name by heart", where you know the roads, and where the key is that requires you to "jiggle the lock" another description that seems to be torn from real life and put to use in a song.
The sharp contrasts carry through to the second verse where folks from home are excitedly "asking for updates" of her new life while the "grilled cheese at the diner" only reminds her of the better ones her Dad used to make. The strength of this song is that the situation remains unresolved, we see a brief glimpse into this life and are then whisked away never knowing how or indeed if things resolve themselves.
Once again Leah's vocals really inhabit the character in the song, giving it that added pathos, that make it seem so believable. With her brother Hoke helping out with vocals on the chorus, this is something of a family affair. A sheer joy to listen to from the start to the last little tap of the cymbal at the end, Leah Belle Faser has once again delivered in style.
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