Sometimes a single grabs you but the album or EP it comes from doesn’t live up to that promise. However, sometimes it takes a few more songs for you to really understand an artist and the longer release exceeds your expectations. I love when that happens, so I was thrilled to hear Liv Cartledge’s EP Timber.
It’s not that the single “Heard Your Name” didn’t impress me, because it did. I liked its cruisy vibe and I thought Liv’s voice has a really distinct huskiness to it. But if I heard an EP of five songs in the same vein, it might have become one of those pleasant background releases that I’d like well enough, but didn’t feel compelled by. However, Timber is such an intimate, special recording. Lyrically it lays everything bare. It’s at its best in its quieter moments, like “Running” and the title track, a sublime closer.
It was only on listening to Timber that I felt I got a real sense of who Liv Cartledge is. The soft husky tone I loved first is showcased well, but what impressed me most is her intimate and raw songwriting talents. She’s not afraid to show us who she is and what’s been through, and that’s powerful. There’s darkness, strength, fragility, and true beauty in this release.
Timber is out now. Liv is currently touring the EP around the country. You can still catch her at the following gigs.
12 October 2017 – Porch Light Sessions, Sydney
13 October 2017 – Parlour Show, Sydney
21 October 2017 – Swagger Music Festival, Wandiligong
3 November 2017 – Happy Wanderer Festival, Benalla
5 November 2017 – Parlour Show, Benalla
10 November 2017 – The Grace Emily, Adelaide
18 & 19 November 2017 – Brown Brothers, Milawa
24 November 2017 – The Taphouse, Bendigo
Image used with permission from Beehive PR