Uma is a Barcelona-based art-pop creator who released her debut EP, Bel-li, earlier this year. Capitalising on a period of inspiration, she invited Luke Bower aka Lucy Lu out to the Catalan capital to write and record with her, just before the pandemic hit. This resulted in two tracks, “Bring Me The Mountain” and “Black Bees”, which will both feature on Uma’s new five-track EP called Moth & the Dove, to be released early next year via Slow Dance.
Having already shared “Bring Me The Mountain”, today they give us the beautiful “Black Bees”. Uma says it is “a reconciliation after the battle, ‘Black Bees’ is about learning to love someone through the darkness and the light.“
You wouldn’t necessarily notice the conflict at the core of “Black Bees” on a cursory listen, because Uma and Lucy Lu sound like they’re swimming in a pool of tranquility. The pair’s intimately hushed singing intertwines over spectral trails of echoing guitar and luminous ambience, threatening to pull you head first into a pool of dark serenity. Inspecting the words, there is plenty of tension, Uma describing an argument that’s causing those involved to crumble and rust – but on “Black Bees” we join the fray in a place where initial tempers have settled, and cooler heads prevail. “It is what it is to be loved by you,” is the crux of the song, a perfect summation of the feelings that descend after the initial clash of love and rage has died down, and all that’s left is the desire for peace and understanding – an overwhelming atmosphere that “Black Bees” captures with precision.
Uma’s Moth & the Dove EP is due on February 19 via Slow Dance. To stay up to date you can follow Uma on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, while Lucy Lu is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
