For Fans Of: London Grammar, Carly Rae Jepson, Metronomy
Harrogate songstress Litany creates sonic sounds that are destined to stick with you.
The concept of Litany has gone through the motions in such a short amount of time but it’s all been used as a means to grow. It was once a duo made up of vocalist Beth Cornell and producer Jake Nicolaides, but when the pair parted ways in 2018, Cornell continued to keep the vision alive.
The earlier work was easily labelled as cosy bedroom pop, featuring shimmering lo-fi production. They released their debut track ‘Slopes’ in 2014; a mellow piece that floats between angelic vocals and popping beats. An instant hit, it was immediately supported by the likes of The Line of Best Fit and BBC Introducing. Relationships with these major tastemakers have continued to the present, noting ‘Slopes’ to be more than a mere fluke in Litany’s timeline.
In 2017, their first EP 4 Track arrived, full of dreamy bops and interludes that create intriguing soundscapes. From cosy pop beats to eerie production, a diverse mixture of noises take over during major tracks ‘Flaws’ and ‘Bedroom’ along with new songs ‘I Said’ and ‘PS2’.
A year after their successful debut, Cornell and Nicolaides chose to part ways, with Cornell telling The Line of Best Fit “We wanted different things from the music, and had different things happening in our personal lives. Our clashing schedule meant that we weren’t working at a pace that the other felt comfortable with,” before continuing “each producer has a stamp, and his can’t be replicated or copied”.
Although, within just a few months, Cornell came back in full force with her first solo single ‘My Dude’. Laced with their trademark nostalgic influences, dreamlike melodies and an instantly catchy chorus, ‘My Dude’ is a magical slice of pop perfection, all handled by the vocalist. The nostalgia doesn’t just stop at the instrumentation though, the lyrics themselves take quite an relatable teenage turn. “It’s inspired by a diary entry from 15-year-old me when I was really into an older guy but he was dating a girl even older than he was.” she said “I remember for a time wanting to be her so badly so I could have him (and her car), going through the motions from crazed jealousy to self-affirmation and wishing he’d have a lightbulb moment. In short, it’s about the girl who got the guy and that girl not being you.”
This lead to Litany’s second EP, Single Player Mode, released last November. Once again made up of four dreamy songs, this time she delves into her own individual past, and explores a retro theme throughout. From sonic samples and lyrics such as “We sang ‘The Tide is High’ with a bottle of wine in our hands” in ‘Go Out’ to artwork designs ranging from a Nokia RAZR to a PlayStation controller and Magic 8 Ball, Single Player Mode is aesthetically pleasing in every way.
Beth Cornell has already taken 2019 by the horns and come off a winner, now let’s see what’s in store for Litany this year…
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Twitter – @litanymusic