Bristol and Birmingham-based riser Genevieve Miles hits a new milestone with the release of her debut EP, ‘So heavy, so hard to hold’.
A collection of 6 personal, fragile and heartfelt tracks showcasing the width of her artistic identity, ‘So heavy, so hard to hold’ delivers moments of stripped acoustic intimacy and others of infectious indie-pop, always underpinned by the emotive, reflective songwriting that makes Miles shine so bright.
On the intimate opening track ‘Beer In The Fridge’, Genevieve delivers a delicately sung stream of thoughts over strummed acoustic guitar as swelling tremolo guitar lines and strings gradually build around her. As the track continues to build, deep bass, dreamy vocal harmonies and subtle lo-fi drums enter to create a soundscape as comparable to Bon Iver’s self-titled album as it is to Staves and Phoebe Bridgers. Elsewhere on the EP, ‘Ocean’ showcases dark electronic undertones mixed finger picked guitar lines and Miles’ melancholic vocal, while ‘Tough Love’ displays the more breezy, buoyant side of her style.
The EPs highlight ‘The Past’ beautifully balances the lighter, more radiant indie sound with the fragile nature of Miles’ songwriting, delivering an infectious chorus melody whilst still retaining a depthy emotion through beautiful guitar lines and a heartfelt vocal line.
Closing with the slow builder ‘Good’ and the shuffling beats, experimentation and thematically hopefulness of ‘All Things Must Pass’ Miles’ closes out the EP in a airy, atmospheric beautiful manner.
Originally written in 2020 when Genevieve Miles, only a few years younger, was faced with emotions that felt too heavy for one person to hold, and so she transferred their weight into these six songs. Now 24, Genevieve Miles has faced new trials of loss and grief, releasing her feelings to the world in a cathartic beautiful explosion of sound.
Miles explains: “It is so amazing to finally be releasing this EP, something we have been working on for years. I wrote these songs throughout 2020, and it feels like I’ve grown up alongside them. They’ve been there for me as little gems of hope. They are about all the pain we carry around that feels too heavy for anyone else to hold, that often feels too scary to hold ourselves. I’m so proud that in moments of pain, my 20-year-old self could find words. Now, in my 24th year, I have often found myself struggling for words in grief and loss, and I come back to these songs to feel understood, to feel held. I hope this EP makes you feel held and reminds you how truly loveable you are. You are never too much and you are always enough.”
Listen below: