Claire Bradshaw – Cairo (2020)
Claire Bradshaw is tapping into various musical styles to tell stories through her EP Cairo. With a mixture of indie rock, jazz, folk and synth-pop, she takes you on a journey across the world and into the realm of emotions. Across the four tracks of the EP, you get a glimpse of different aspects of life from happy days to romance, despair and really bad service on a flight.
Her eclectic musical stylings are a display of the musical journey she has taken to reach this point. Having started with the cello at the young age of 7, she swapped it for a guitar at 15. She then went on to play bass, guitar and synths for a number of bands before taking a hiatus. However, music continued to call her and she found her way back to her first love bringing the wealth of experiences and skills she had gained with her.
The light tones that open ‘The Worshipful Company of Lonely Hearts and Losers’ effortlessly draws you into the track. There is a wonderful movement to the melody that makes you want to sway to the music. The light tones that shine through the music are a little at odds with the lyrics which have an almost gloomy vibe. Through Bradshaw’s vocals, you are filled with a sense of apathy as you sink into the emotions of the lyrics. Later in the track, there is an instrumental section that is utterly gorgeous before the music turns into something more upbeat. At this point, the gloom of the track gives way to an uplifting and motivating vibe. The track is a subtle yet real journey through the emotions of life.
‘Wet Boots’ hits you with a full-on sound from the first moment that makes you want to bounce to it. There is a lot of energy in the track that you have to move to which is quite different from the opening song. Through the rolling movement of the music, you are filled with liveliness and bright energy. The lyrics are motivational as they make you want to grab what life has to offer you each day. There are these keyboard lines that flow against the shuffling beats that help your spirit rise with the lyrics. Bradshaw’s vocals also have a lighter vibe that makes you want to smile.
There is a heavier sound to ‘Treehouse’ with an almost bluesy feel to the melody. The drums have a jazz shuffle to them while the keys are all smooth jazzy bluesy goodness that whispers through your senses. This change in the melody is matched by the vocals which have a wonderful flow to them. At times, Bradshaw brings a sultry slide to her voice before the chorus has you walking through a misty forest. The warbling tones that vibrate over the bass during the instrumental section send your imagination flying.
The EP comes to a good vibe end with ‘Cairo’ as the opening fills you with some light energy. The synths that zip through on the chorus are a new addition to the EP with this track that adds a little something to it. The instrumentation that rests in the lower levels of the melody has a hazy nostalgia to it as the lyrics work through a romance that is not going well. The touch of despair the chorus brings is not the deep sinking kind but rather more passive-aggressive. The entire track has this feeling like a slightly snarky telling of what has happened wrapped in the easy vibes of folk music.
Claire Bradshaw hits you with four very different tracks on her EP Cairo. From lightly snarky tales of romance to gloom turning into motivation, she touches on different aspects of life. These snapshot moments and emotions are wrapped in folk goodness with a splash of synths and captivating instrumental sections.
Find out more about Claire Bradshaw on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
