Album Review: Little Queen

Christchurch based singer songwriter Bryony Mathews is on the brink of releasing Little Queen, a folk-pop album comprising of nine tracks with a largely upbeat tempo, coinciding with thoughtful compassionate lyrics. The CD contains a booklet and the art is sweet and uncomplicated, capturing the title of her debut album perfectly. 

When you start listening and delve deeper into the track listing, sweet wont cut it, more like reflective with very cleverly written lyrics, backed by a clean engaging sound, thanks to guitarist Adam Hattaway and drummer AJ Park.  

Voices kicks the album off with a happy upbeat tone, but the lyrics contradict the peppy nature of this song, telling a tale of uncertainty and confusion, once again I say clever, this track pairs an uplifting beat with thoughtful angst ridden lyrics. It is endearing.

The album continued to seduce me as I moved through the tracks. The beauty of having a booklet with songs laid out for me to pour over is a luxury of being able to read over them and absorb the meaning behind the words. It became clear to me these poetic, smart lyrics came from the heart. 

This is a delightful gem, an engaging, sweet-toned but bittersweet album, infused with cleverly crafted songwriting, partnered by a band which compliment Bryony perfectly.

Release date May 5th 2017. Available for purchase from Bandcamp.