It’s now February, which means two things: we are about to introduce you to your new Bloom Sesh musician and it’s the month of love. However, cupid won’t be catching us too soon because we have none other than breakup song royalty, strong independent women advocate and crepe maker, Phoebe Marshall joining us. With three whopper releases last year, we can’t wait to showcase Phoebe’s captivating concoction of indie pop. Hey, maybe we will fall in love…
Although currently based in London, Phoebe has grown up in and around Yorkshire. Flitting between York and Leeds, Phoebe has experimented with sound and setup – being in multiple bands before finally tackling the industry as a solo artist. She has a really exciting sound, one that exists between indie, pop and at times a mixture of electropop or indietronica. Amongst this you can hear the tones of artists such as Taylor Swift, HAIM and even more local artists such as English Teacher or Luna Pines. And don’t even get us started on those lyrics…
On her Bandcamp page, Phoebe greets visitors with the line: “If you like weird lyrics and catchy choruses, you might like my music.” To the point, enough said. Yes, her music is catchy and that overused phrase ‘earworm’ comes to mind, but her music also captures nuance and complexity – something which is, perhaps, often missing from a genre such as indie. Take her second release of 2020, ‘If You Begged For Me, Would I Have Stayed’, a track that confronts the tangle of emotions post-breakup. The powerful propulsion of the track, with pounding drums and blistering hi-hats, is positioned against the vulnerability of the lyrics. It captures feelings of bitterness, strength, empowerment but also helplessness and unease. Phoebe herself calls it ‘messy’, admitting: “I had so many irrational thoughts and I wanted to throw them all into a catchy pop song.”
Each track encompasses so much personality, they’re well rounded but also fun. No place is this better found than her latest release, to which we’re giving its radio edit name ‘Quicksand’. Produced by Leeds based Chris Mulligan, this song is one of hope – of rejecting bad vibes, toxic situations and unhealthy people. It’s an anthem for strong independent women and we love it. Speaking on Facebook, Phoebe says “I’m proud of this song. I used to crave male validation so much in my life and I still do sometimes but this is me learning that I don’t need to.” The composition is uplifting, it’s almost got the feel of Mike Crossey with a tinge of The 1975 – layered, synth city.
A BIG thank you to Phoebe for joining us this February! We’re delighted to be collaborating with her and if you wanted to further show your support, we’ve set up a donations page which you can access here.
Live session: Sunday, 28th of February at 3pm – be there or be… elsewhere?
Have a listen for yourself:
Bloom Sessions 