Since the release of debut single Patterns / History, Anderson has been writing and recording tracks for his debut album. Intended to be his next release, the process has been more fruitful than expected however, as the Dubliner amassed more songs than space allowed for on one LP. And so the Hallowed Heart EP was born, four tracks from the album sessions that sit together as a separate entity rather well.
Varying from peppy and positive to melancholic, this is a folksy sound with irresistible classic pop melodies, draped in Anderson’s intuitive songwriting and storytelling abilities. There is a quite buoyant feel to songs like ‘Hallowed Heart’ and ‘Cecilia’s Sister’; the lyrics are as deep and personal as they are optimistic and hopefully, bobbing along some jaunty keys and acoustic guitar mingling. ‘A Sad Lullaby’ hits a gloomier tone, a moving song of a girl lost to the trappings of her life to the point of despair. Closer ‘Death Is Like The Rain’ returns to the previous optimism, a gentle acoustic strum accompanies his earnest voice, leaving Anderson with a wide open space for his lyrics to fill. Serving as something of the Anderson manifesto, it rallies against resignation and depressive decline in a powerful insistence to stay positive. An overwhelmingly powerful climax, leaving the listener wishing the song wasn’t just 1:52 in length.
Hallowed Heart is a simply wonderful collection of songs. These are touching personal tales, taking some of the finer moments ’60s/’70s folksy pop and told through the eyes of an intuitive songwriter and storyteller on the very top of his game.
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