You want to listen to some great new Indie music? You could do a lot worse than check out this mix of tracks by Bessie Turner, sent out on her own label, “Good Shout Records.” It is a five track outing called “Arrabbiata.” Arrabbiata is always a hot and spicy sauce, and this outing does not disappoint. At Rock the Joint Magazine, we can handle spice tonight.
First up, “Sugarman” is a brief (43 seconds) intro in the Debbie Harry style that grabs the attention. The mix then gets into its groove with “It Was Nothing.” Now I love this one. It is a slab of twenty-first century dreamy pop, a marker that this artist is going places. It got playlisted by BB6 Music and it is a huge statement of intent.
Bessie says of this track,
“I wrote the track when I was trying to navigate myself through a tricky situation, and I was feeling quite alone, but with that space and loneliness, I felt really free. It’s about bad vibes, good vibes, all the feelings really. Disappointments, anger, feeling strong, feeling like you might be getting somewhere, feeling like dancing, feeling like everything is going to shit. To me, its biggest themes are trust and boundaries, but that might be different for the listener. I like people to make their own interpretations of my songs, it’s always so interesting to see what it means to ears that aren’t mine. “
Every listener approaches tracks from an angle true to their experience, and for this reviewer, I can connect to this young songwriter and her varied themes. “Ciao Bella” for instance, is a very interesting number and my favourite of the selection. This took me into Lily Allen territory vocally, ruminative and melodic.
There is a sense of an interval at the end of this selection. The (very brief) closing track “Ta-Ra” is more of a nod to what comes next.
Bessie explains,
“It’s a slowed down section of a song I wrote with Joe (COURAGE), which you’ll hopefully be able to hear soon. It leans into the future, I guess. It’s a bit weird, it doesn’t feel very final. I didn’t just want to make another EP with your standard wham bam songs. I’ve done that before, and I’ll likely do it again. But at the moment, I’m saving my most precious jewels for the album, which is a long time coming – but it’s still coming. ”
As someone coming fresh to Bessie Turner, I enjoyed these numbers and will be there at the front of the gate for the album. In this magazine, we get behind acts we like, and we like Bessie a lot (bring on the album) !
Review by Stevie Ritson