Long Way Home, Låpsley

At 19 years old, Låpsley has excited many with the release of her debut album Long Way Home. This album is full of love, trouble, and late night intricate beats that showcase her unique talent. Additionally, Låpsley was in charge of producing her 12- track album, showing the depth of her musical knowledge at such a young age.

The album begins with the breakup songs “Heartless” and “Hurt Me”, which balance soft beats alongside strong vocals. Låpsley’s ability to blend shifting beats and tones with quality vocals is similar to artists such as James Blake and Jack Garratt. Each song on Long Way Home is equally unique and engaging.

Long Way Home is not the most lyrically intricate album. However, Låpsley is still able to communicate a wide variety of emotions with the depth of her voice. On “Love is Blind” she says “love is blind when the lights go out,” which is definitely not a ground breaking statement; however, the authenticity in her voice takes away any inclinations of the song being cliché.

Throughout the entire album there is a glorious late night vibe, which at times becomes eerie, particularly on “Falling Short” and “Seven Months.” On “Falling Short” there appears to be male background vocals, however Låpsley uses a producing trick to manipulate her own voice to create an additional dimension to the track.

One of the catchier tracks on the album is “Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)”, where Låpsley uses a fast beat alongside an interesting proposition to keep listeners engaged. She proposes, “My baby doesn’t call me so put me through operator/So tell me should I leave him and fall in love with you operator”. It is on this song that Låpsley’s vocals draw comparisons to fellow Xl Recording artist Adele.

With the amazing outbreak of Long Way Home, Låpsley’s future is very promising and will set very high expectations for her sophomore album. Låpsley is scheduled to play at U Street Music Hall on May 9^th 2016.

Featured Songs: “Hurt Me,” “Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)”, “Love is Blind”

Photo Courtesy of Consequence of Sound