Newly signed to Seven Four Seven Six (home to Matilda Mann and Matt Maltese), Glaswegian singer/songwriter Lizzie Reid has built a steady following on Britain’s live circuit in recent years, supporting the likes of The Staves and Nilüfer Yanya. Following last month’s lo-fi voice note “Tribute”, her new single “Seamless” is a beautiful, nostalgic paean to lost love.
With an unfussy arrangement that builds around the nucleus of Reid’s smoky voice and tremolo-heavy guitar, the song boasts an insistently warm melody despite the painful subject matter. Reid’s guitar and voice are supported by subtle piano accents and gorgeous vocal harmonies, with drums and strings weaving in lightly halfway through.
“I listened to the demo on the train from London to Glasgow,” says Reid. “I had tears streaming down my face. That was when I realised, I had written something deeply personal to me.” There is raw emotion in her voice, which makes a haunting home in its deeper tones, all world-weary elegance – but when she soars into the upper register, the emotive effect is stirring. The melody bobs and seesaws, like the ebbs and flows of post-breakup grief. “It all went so wrong,” she sings, “our language of love’s got lost on us.”
Reid has made something beautiful from the painful, and it will be interesting to see where she goes next.
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