SINGLE REVIEW: ELLA SPENCER - SCOTTY'S TYRES - WARNING SIGNS
- CHRIS FARLIE
- Sep 12
- 3 min read
Every so often, it comes to the attention of #TEAMw21 that something of quality may have slipped under our radar, and we like to go back and and duly acknowledge it. Such a thing happened back in May when Ella Spencer released "Scotty's Tyres". It comes with a picture of Ella standing outside the aforementioned emporium, located on the Blackhorse Road apparently, however more importantly it comes with a level of musicality and lyrical precision that marks it out as being something special. Co-written with Canadian Pop-Rock siren Poesy, there's a sense of fragility, a relationship falling apart, yet as things develop there is also a steelier darker sassier side that comes into play.
Opening to a guitar strumming Ella quickly joins in, her voice, understandably a little melancholic, the sound is also added to by some precisely picked out notes from a banjo possibly, Ella's second instrument..
"I can tell your heart is open
All the doors, the windows too
And I can see which way we're going
Headed for the deepest blue
An indigo morning with you"
The second verse sees the arrival of some crisp percussion, subtle keyboard and guitars, the overall sound is more developed with a rockier feel. It is only the final word of the verse that sees Ella elongate the word in a wistful way.
"I can feel the wind is blowing
Touching every object in your room
Looking round at the horizon
I want to slam the shutter down before you move
But that's something that I wouldn't do"
The chorus when it arrives delightfully seems to put an accent on certain words
"I'll fall down again, if I stop now, I'd have a lot of regrets
Do it all again, start these unfinished threats
These are words I would say to you
This time will have to do, so I'll
Fall down again"
The uncertainty around the final embers of a relationship are beautifully captured in the next verse.
"I can feel myself slipping
In and out of the present tense with you
Although part of me is holding out
That it won't come true
I can feel it in the moments, we're holding onto
You can feel it in the way I fight with you
Now I'm wrapped in your every angle
If we disentangle, does it mean I'll have to lose?
The bridge really takes on a more rocking guitar and delivers a lyrical coup de gras
"You're driving and I'm already in your rear view
Then I really want to slash your tyres
Set you car on fire
And that's something I still might still do!"
As the chorus come round for the third time you really start to appreciate what a total gem this is, the final renditions with additional backing vocals only reinforce that this was a lost pop classic, that needs to be brought out into the light.
Having brought one single back from the brink, it seems cruel not to mention the equally wonderful and hypnotic "Warning Signs".
Beautifully atmospheric, with little flourishes of keyboard and with a repeated chorus that tells the unfortunate truth about warning signs.
"Warning signs, warning signs
You never know when the fog will rise
Only hindsight sees the Warning Signs"
The earlier verses air various wisdom from folklore regarding premonitions however it it the bridge that pulls things together in the most subtle of ways, about the personal warning sign that was missed.
"There's a Warning Sign on your window
There's a Warning Sign on your door
So now you don't have to wonder
The way I did before"
With more great attention paid to backing vocals,this is a real ear worm. It may end on the shimmer of a tambourine, then comes the urge to play it again repeatedly until you wonder how it was not in your life previously.
Two undoubted gems that slipped us by - make sure you don't make the same mistake.
For those who still love the physical product Ella has a rather wonderful EP with both of these tracks on it and more, able to be ordered using the link below
