poppedmusic

Memories Of The Future

Released 22nd April 2016

Words: Nick Jacques

She Drew The Gun emerges in the form of Merseyside girl Louisa Roach and band. Louisa has been honing her craft for several years as a singer/songwriter has now come full circle with a band and released an exceptional debut album Memories Of The Future on the Coral’s frontman James Skelly’s record label Skeleton Key.

Bathed in sultry vocals and stripped back production, this is an immersive and compelling experience. Imagine a picnic under the stars with Portishead and Laura Marling and you have a good idea of where Roach is leading the listener.

Her versatile voice is filled with fragility and poignancy. At once it’s both distinctive and enticing. She’s invites you into her space and the music complements this in an intrinsic fashion. Roach’s vocals leave you hanging by the thread and its effect is one that is both hypnotising and invigorating.

Roach came to some people’s attention in 2015 when her performance for a local BBC introducing show was witnessed by a friend of James Skelley and as a result of this a friendship blossomed and a year later Memories of the Future is the product of that relationship.

Memories Of The Future simmers and bubbles away with deathly moody pluckings, stern bass lines, crisp beats and sonorous vocals.  Throughout the album there is sense of lingering and opaque vibes that engulf the ears. Haunting lullaby Be Mine is a perfect example of this; lucid violin play is wrapped around with the enticing vocals of Roach. One of my highlights on the album.

There are plenty pleasing highlights on here. Pit Pong is a swirling and swooning segment that pricks up the eye brows. Opener Where I End And You Begin is downbeat but at the same time charming. Roach sings of how she has gone too far in a relationship and that its time to abandon ship, so to speak. She opens the proceedings in an imposing manner with shimmering antics being played behind that dreamy and celestial voice of hers.

The music on Memories Of The Future is deployed as a perfect foil for Roach’s vocal style. Arrangements echo Bat for lashes and Bic Runga. It works so well and means that Roach’s vocals shouldn’t receive all the praise here. The best and most accomplished example of this entangled and alluring chemistry is evident on Since You Were Not Mine. Symbols sooth, guitars caress and her voice aches with anticipation which has a delectable and irresistible effect.

Beneath the hushed arrangements and the poetic fluency of Roach’s lyrics there is also a cinematic scope to She Drew The Gun’s musings. Or So I Thought offers a different and intriguing side to their sound. The creepy presence of a moody organ fills a massive space which gradually builds before fading out gorgeously and ending this surprising and immersive treat for our ears.

This is proof that there is so much unsung talent out there in music landscape of today. She Drew The Gun’s talent shouldn’t go unnoticed and it’s great that artists like her are getting the opportunity to do what they love for a living and share it with the world. Definitely a highlight of 2016 so far. It will be interesting to see where Memories of the Future takes Roach and co… hopefully it won’t be ignored by the masses.

Listen to If You Were Not Mine here: