Through waves of swooning clarinet and an undergrowth of Jazz charm, Elin Edwards aka Thallo, blends landscape and melody to create a body of work brimming with natural beauty. Yet, hidden beneath the vibrancies of colour that pulse throughout her music lies a sense of humanity. A sense of humanity, that although buried deep within the thematics of her lyricism, is startlingly relatable.

Ahead of her latest single, Pressed and Preserved, out now on Recordiau Côsh, we caught up with the Welsh born, London based artist to see who she’s been listening to of late. Here are her picks:

Snowpoet – Burn Bright 

Absolutely stunning song off of their recent album, Wait for Me. I discovered Snowpoet when I heard their single, Mermaid, and was taken aback by the sheer beauty and craft within the music. Burn Bright is one of those songs that I can listen to forever. There’s so many details hidden in the music – creating a delicate ecosystem of fluttering textures and harmonies. Each instrument creates space – conversing with each other – but also sometimes challenges the vocal melody that floats effortlessly on top. I really admire their songwriting and production.

Ailsa Tully – Parasite

I met Ailsa while studying music together at uni. The first time I saw her perform, she was accompanying herself with her cello and I was instantly blown away. She’s got such a special voice and does these intricate folky vocal melodies and harmonies while making it sound effortless. Her songs are always emotional, dark yet beautiful all at once, which you can hear in Parasite. You’ll listen to the stunning harmonies and suddenly realise the anger through the lyrics. She’s such a talented songwriter and producer, and her live performances are goosebump-inducing!

Becca Mancari – Annie  

I discovered Becca Mancari in 2020 after she released her single Hunter and is now my latest obsession, and one of my absolute favourite artists. Through last year’s lockdowns, I would usually spend my time painting whilst listening to albums. I would listen to The Greatest Part album on repeat which became a bit of a lockdown soundtrack. I adore heartbreaking lyrics, and this album is like a knife to the heart. Recently released single, Annie, is an effortless song for you to bathe in. One of my many favourite things about her music is the string arrangements and it really comes out to play in this single. The string arrangement in this song makes it sound like a soundtrack to a slo-mo shootout scene in a film, where everyone is doomed. 

Easypeel – Softer than Ocean 

I loved playing clarinet on Easypeel’s recently released album, Mother – another that I’ve had on repeat. The album is a reference to mother nature and all things earthly that we’ve modified to our liking. Softer than Ocean is one of my favourite tracks off the album, although I have many other favourites for playing! I adore the playful riffs, catchy hooks and his gorgeous voice!

Sylvan Esso – Numb (WITH LOVE) 

Another band that I discovered last year that became an obsession of mine are Sylvan Esso. I fell in love with the production and can’t get enough of the synths! Their album, Free Love, kept me from listening exclusively to mellow indie songs in lockdowns, which I’m forever grateful for. They’ve filmed a few live performances that I’m just in awe of. Their electronic production is insane and somehow they’ve managed to recreate it through a large band for a documentary/concert film called ‘WITH’ which is a must-see. I adore this live version in particular of Numb. The band have so much fun and I prefer it to the studio version as it’s brimming with energy and has some gorgeous atmospheric saxophone moments. 

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