London singer/songwriter Lyla Foy has been slowly preparing for the release of her debut album for a couple of years now, previously performing and releasing music under the moniker WALL. After the pleasant response to her 2012 single 'Easy', it was the release of the wonderful 'Feather Tongue' which made people take notice of her, some even hailing her as 'the new Kate Bush'. Whilst I don't feel that she's quite there yet, with Mirrors In The Sky, Lyla goes to show that when it comes to fluttering indie-pop, less is definitely more.
'Easy' is the album's most prominent 'pop moment'; the pulsating drum beats and the euphoric chorus also make it Foy's most accessible track yet. 'Euphoric' is word I would use to sum up this album as a whole. The light synths, hazy guitar licks and Foy's smoky vocals are wistful and often dream-like. This doesn't always work in her favor though; neither the instrumentation nor the vocals are ever bold enough to really grab me and make this album as great as it could be. There are still some lovely songs on here despite this, such as 'Feather Tongue' with it's throbbing synth-led melody and fluttering chorus, the breathy hook of 'Only Human' and the swooning 'No Secrets'.
Lyla Foy has made an album which is true to her sound and her vision and for that I commend her. Although her production may be a little too subdued at times, there is plenty to love here. At it's most mesmerizing, Mirrors In The Sky recalls early Kate Bush. The potential is defiantly there, it's whether she is willing to scaling the Wuthering heights to fulfill it.
7.3/10
Key Tracks: 'Easy', 'Feather Tongue', 'Only Human', 'No Secrets'
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