Helen King is a new London singer-songwriter who plays emotive and melodic anthems with her explosive indie rock gang. Her debut album was released on 11 February 2025, with a special launch event at the iconic venue The Water Rats in Kings Cross. I had this sent over for review and it has just jumped out of my in-tray as I relax (finally) in bed. It’s past 11pm and approaching the witching hour, so not a bad time to allow music to wash over my senses before sleep.
I was looking for more bio from Helen, but it was all over in a few lines! Still, this is clearly a girl who lets her music do the talking, so I will get stuck into my review with no more preamble.
The album has 10 songs and runs at just over 38 minutes
My Review:
“Back in the Day” opens to a drum beat, a light melody and a gentle infusion of AOR. The melody for this one has a feel of country somewhere in there; the chorus is radio friendly. Seeing that I came to Helen King never having heard anything by her at all before, this was a mature track, solid production and an easy hook to get my interest.
“Johnny” is a tale of a good-time boy. It has a heavy rhythm and a hook into the chorus. There is a video for this one that I am putting at the end of this review. It has the feel of American rock, and it’s a bit dark and edgy. An interesting track.
“Listen to America” shows off the storytelling aspect of Helen King, one of the reasons why she does connect me to country music a bit. I enjoyed this one; it’s full of layers and harmony. It was a dreamy listen for the late night and it had that sense of soaring like a bird.
“Whatever Makes You Happy” is the shortest track on the album, coming in at just over 3 minutes. It is a darker track, a bit more angst-driven and vocally spitting a couple of bullets.
“Who Do You Love?” is a rock ballad. Dreams of blue skies move toward a heavier bluesy feel. Those little echoes and background harmonies in the vocals at one point were interesting and the drums beat up the mood nicely.
“Leave A Little Light On” struts its way through the headphones. It is a rocky number, Helen noting she has emptied her heart out. She gets the pain into her vocals; we have a heavier sound; it’s a bit haunting. I did like the chorus beat and that vocal delivery on the chorus line.
“You’re Never Alone” has a crunchy, slower sense. This one moved, to my surprise, toward a more techno beat. It had a different feel to the rest of the album. I was okay with it, but I didn’t connect with it as I had others on the album.
“Colours Fade” turns to a ballad, uplifting and emotive. It had a kind of Celtic harmony, layered vocals and that feeling of summer rain. It is a well-crafted number.
“Like a Child” works almost like a conversation, as Helen reflects on being a fraction of who she was all that time ago. It is a solid album track.
“Here is You” is a piano-led ballad. It closes the album and shows the power within Helen’s vocal delivery. “Who takes your hand when life’s unfair? I’ll leave that question hanging there!
In summary, debut albums can be a long time in the making! What we have here is an accomplished singer-songwriter who is mixing rock and country with stylish vocal harmony. When she gets it right (and 8/10 tracks here she does), Helen delivers a powerful radio-friendly soundtrack for 2025; she has a debut here that promises much for the future.
Standout tracks: “Back in the Day,” “Listen to America,” and “Colours Fade.”
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Artist website here
Stream music from Helen King here
By Lorraine Foley
