Recommended If You Like: Gallant, Rationale, Justin Timberlake
London-based singer/songwriter Olly Chamberlain holds nothing back on his sophomore EP. Independently out today, 7/7/2017, Fear is a beautifully balanced mix of pain and joy. Rich, soulful melodies blend into vivid lyrics as Chamberlain establishes himself and his formidable talent.
Falling into the cycle
It’s never-ending
Spiraling deep into my core
Take flight, I want to run away
Out of the madness
That is here
Listen: ‘Fear’ – Olly Chamberlain
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/336039053?secret_token=s-sg41I” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”350″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering Olly Chamberlain’s Fear EP, whose sweet melodies and lush indie pop licks promise to bring you on a freeing emotional excursion. Title track “Fear” immediately asserts the artist’s polished and personal presentation: Chamberlain’s singing burns with passion as he jumps from evocative chest voice to his beautifully full falsetto. The young artist sounds like a seasoned R&B crooner, his howls melting over smooth electronic textures.
Here comes the fear
Messing with my sanity
Choking up my lungs so I can’t breathe
Here comes the fear
Everywhere that I turn
I can see the war run on my screen
“Spiritual” runs in a similar pop vein to “Fear,” a traditionally-written verse/chorus song that pushes its release through a direct lyricism. This cohesion allows for a fuller understanding of Chamberlain as a 2017 indie pop prodigy: He resembles a lesser Troye Sivan or (dare I say?) Sam Smith, striving to reach the maximum impact that these stars seem to so effortlessly deliver on every haunting ballad.
The Shibui Nights-remixed “Hold Onto You” glams up the singer’s previous single, adding electronic elements that give it new life amongst Chamberlain’s new material. Final track “Crash and Burn” suggests a Justin Timberlake influence; this burning ball-buster is a perfect end-of-night slow-down, but it leaves us wanting more.
Channeling the sexier side of electronica and R&B, Olly Chamberlain has massive vocal talent – that much is indisputable. Yet his Fear EP feels much more like a single than it does a fully-fledged exposition of potential, its vision limited to a two-sided scope that this artist will need to breach in order to spread his wings and fly. Nevertheless, “Fear” is a glittering, glitchy and glamorous pop gem that deserves the attention, and provided he continues to explore the depths of his own musicality, Olly Chamberlain has a bright future ahead of him.
:: stream/purchase Fear EP here ::
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