Today is a good day because indie-pop artist Bryony Williams is back putting music out to the world, and she marks her return triumphantly with new single, ‘Trip Me Up’.
Bryony is a favourite of this blog so her making music again is very exciting. When the email dropped in my inbox with a link to the single and the press release, I immediately smiled because she hasn’t once disappointed me whether it is her music or a live performance. So yes, perhaps my expectations were quite high going in.
There is something truly magical when you listen to a song for the first time and straightaway fall a little bit in love with it. The opening quickly has your attention with the pacy drum beat and vibrant bass line before you’re carried by a dreamy guitar hook. None of which really ever relinquishes. The energy continues to be lively and bubbly throughout and you find yourself bopping along practically from the off.
Sometimes when I am writing a review, I am concerned that I state the obvious too much but I have to say what an amazing singer Bryony is. Her vocals are… enticing feels like the wrong word but I don’t mean it in the way you’re probably thinking so don’t jump to conclusions! What I do mean is that they draw you in and keep you there. They are charmingly alluring. The echoey harmonisations in the chorus are both hazy yet melancholic simultaneously which have the ability to make you feel restful but also reflective.
Even though it is high tempo, there is a vulnerability to the song – something that Bryony is a master at putting across – but it isn’t one that is disheartening. In fact, I would go as far to say that it is hopeful. She’s one of life’s storytellers who has you leaning forward in your seat (or edging closer to the stage) as you want to know more.
I love to dance, won’t you dance with me?
Take my hand, and tripe me up.
If you’re a fan of Marika Hackman, Courtney Barnett or The Big Moon then ‘Trip Me Up’ is probably going to be the track for you. It wonderfully blends classic indie-pop elements with shoegaze creating something that is so easy to listen to and I think vibe to as well. One thing I really enjoy about the shoegaze genre in general is how inoffensive it is to experience. It’s music that has the ability to transport you elsewhere, giving the listener an escape from a noisy and overbearing world.
A trait that is quite common in this style is how the music has a nostalgic feel and this single is no different but it is more obviously there. That’s because of the clear influences from 90s film, ‘The Virgin Suicides’. It was watching it in 2017 that originally inspired Bryony to start writing this song and I think it is a very interesting source of creativity, and it has led to a track with real depths.
The single carries a strong relatable theme of being young and trying to navigate love for the first time which is never easy, especially when you’re trying to work out who you really are in the meantime. I’m sure it is going to resonate with those who hear it and make them feel empowered – it certainly has had a get-up-and-go effect on me.
The layering to the track is brilliantly done. It already felt like a well-rounded song but the prominent addition of keys towards the end gives the listener another detail to wrap their ears around. There’s also something clever about opening the single with spoken word and ending it that way as well, it gives a sense of there is a story to it and there is a beginning, middle, and end. It feels complete which I believe is more difficult to achieve than people realise.
Since her last release, which was EP ‘State I’m In’ in 2020, Bryony has moved to the other side of the Midlands where she played her first gig for a while in Lincoln. I really hope she returns to the West Mids soon for a gig or two! I can almost guarantee that people will be dancing to her latest single when she does get back out on the road again.
Bryony has already been championed by the BBC and opened for acts such as Liz Lawrence and Peaness, but I see bigger success in her future. ‘Trip Me Up’ is the first single from her upcoming debut album which is out later this year. I am very much looking forward to it.
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Bryony Williams: FACEBOOK | TWITTER (X) | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TIKTOK | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP
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Music, Drums and Me 