The I’m going out, and I may be some time EP shows a gorgeous chamber-folk styling from ghostgirl, the London-based project of Kay Rowan. The trans folk singer/songwriter weaves compelling acoustical melodies alongside flourishes of strings, whilst thematically addressing the importance of self-discovery in venturing forward with a bright hopefulness.
Beautiful acoustical frolicking and shimmering string-laden textures open “metaphor” with patient warmness. The gentle guitars accompany intimate lyrical musings “I never wanted to be brave,” — culminating in the “I’m not leaving yet,” chilliness amidst subtle orchestral swells. “I’m just a metaphor.” This gorgeous track feels thematically representative of the overall EP, particularly in how self-discovery is essential in fighting “the terror of becoming human after so long in denial.”
Starkly lush vocals and minimalist acoustics push forward gently on “yet, again,” which urges “don’t love me yet,” as flourishing piano tones weave in subtly. The effort stirs in portraying a sort of self-defense, when one is armed with the knowledge of not being ready to wade into a relationship, just quite yet. The primary refrain proves hypnotic amidst the serene acoustics and slight textural backing. Ghostly vocals and hints of strings craft a stellar conclusion. ghostgirl consistently crafts a gorgeous, personal sound throughout their I’m going out, and I may be some time EP.
Rowan elaborates further on the EP:
“The only through-line in the EP wasn’t lyrical or stylistic: it was the desire for it to be a postcard – a “wish you were here!” to my past self, who had to walk out into the snow in the hope of fighting for my continued existence, so they could see what they still had to look forward to. The music is messy because the life I was recording in at the time was messy, but the music has hope, because I wanted to celebrate that I finally found it. If you’re singing a sad song, it’s happy because you lived long enough to sing it.”
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“metaphor” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of September 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
