Gabrielle Aplin – Miss You (Never Fade Records – 2016)
In this EP, Gabrielle Aplin fiddles with electronic sounds and bubbly beats—definitely a step away from the acoustic-based melodies she’s known for. The first two songs, “Miss You” and “Night Bus,” touch on themes of longing, loneliness and loss, and act almost as parts one and two of a break-up story. Aplin’s vocals are smooth and angelic—they nearly put you in a transient state. The second half of Miss You features the side of Aplin fans are more familiar with. “Run For Cover” is mysterious and haunting—lyrically, Aplin plays with the metaphor of a burning house, all while featuring eerie, yet simple instrumentation. The EP concludes with a piano rendition of “Miss You,” which puts more emphasis on the sadness of the lyrics due to its bareness instrumentally—her vocals take centre stage. As always, Aplin’s tunes tell creative, relatable and meaningful stories.
8/10
Trial Track: “Night Bus”
