Single Review: Grow

Operating under the stage name Ms.Take, Lora Thompson has developed herself as a master of guitar pedals, as well as a producer, bassist, guitar player and audio engineer. Having spent time jamming and performing with the likes of Skinny Hobos, Empress and Cheshire Grimm, she has now added another notch on the belt that is labelled Ms.Take.

She wrote of her newest effort, the single Grow, that it was originally recorded in 2017, then a couple of years later was brought out of the dusty depths, rejigged as part of Lora’s Masters in Music, and today we have the finished product.

Instinctively, one notices the out-of-key approach of the looped oh oh oh’s as soon as the tune begins, but is assured of the melodic aspects as soon as the bass enters the equation, while the brisk-paced drums and the mild-sounding keys gently moves the tune along.

The electro-pop drum rhythm grows more delicious, as does the rest of the backing composition, made up of airy synth distortions, and a soothing, throbbing bass hum.

There are a lot – and I mean a LOT – of vocal layers. Frequently the backing, looped samples play a touch too much in the foreground, sounding as though they’re competing for the limelight of the main vocals. But when the lead-lines are sung on its own, they are playfully soulful, and certainly deserves the limelight.

Not one to rely on conventional songwriting structures, there are two verses and choruses, then plunging into a passage of a darker mood two-thirds of the way through, with the refrain from earlier “Nothing stays the same, you have to let it go” staying in one’s ear.

The track is over within three minutes, and certainly feels like a lot more sinew and emotional muscle could have been applied. In some fields, one might argue succinctness is key, however, if atmospheres were explored, and more varied effects were applied to drive a more soulful oomph, the song would – for lack of a better word – GROW further.

As an experimental electro-pop tune, this ticks boxes. Is it dance-able? Yep. Has it got melodies? A fair bit of that. Is it experimental? Yes, bordering on avant-garde.

Be sure to get an earful of Ms.Take’s Grow and experience it for yourself on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.