Oct 23, 2024
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“Terribly flat, Norfolk…” Or so the old line goes …
Notwithstanding Noel Coward’s bon mot, Norfolk-born Lucy Grubb’s third EP Waste My Time has more depth and texture than he might expect. Plunger have noted before the affinity of East Anglian artists with the more rural US genres but it’s more than that. There’s a sheen of 70s LA polish to the four songs, taking them beyond beyond ‘G-C-D and a stetson’ level, with sophisticated chordal progressions, some nice quirks of timing and rhythm, and stylish arrangements and contributions from the band.
The resigned exasperation of the title track is smoothly delivered, complemented by train-track drums, gentle keyboard textures and mellow vocal harmonies topped with brief outings for both Piers Hunt’s organ and Richard Poynton’s slide. The relaxed Other Side is spiced with a borderland flavour, Lucy’s girlish ingenue vox plaintive and yearning, over a building ground of muted electric guitar, piano and banjo, swelling with the addition of bass and drums, a burst of synth strings and more sweet backing harmonies (and Plunger certainly won’t argue with any song advising you to “buy yourself some cowboy boots”…)
Richard Ward’s banjo remains to add a rustic air to the saloon “See ya (wouldn’t want to be ya)!” shuffle of You Don’t Do Anything, with Lucy’s vox in full Nashville-twang-and-falsetto mode, plus a roadhouse clap-and-vox singalong break and a snatch of Scotty Moore guitar. Kevin Burton’s bass and Paul Weston’s drums take the lead on When It Rains, together with lovely electric piano for a West Hollywood country amble: lush harmonies and sweeping mellotron strings serve to heighten the warm Troubadour-y vibe.
Short and (very) sweet Waste My Time is done and dusted in quarter of an hour, although it’ll stay with you much longer than that: it’s fifteen minutes that’s definitely time well spent. So pop that in your cigarette holder Noel, and smoke it...
Waste My Time is released on Friday 4th June and is available from here: https://lucygrubb.bandcamp.com as well as the usual online suspects
This is my version of "On the Way Home" by John Mayer, enjoy!