Enchanting notes from Manc vocalist
Who?
Having played in various bands over the years, Manchester-based Elizabeth Crompton’s first solo project – as Ova – was 2018’s ‘Godless’ EP, which featured her soft, gorgeous voice over a stark analogue backdrop. After deciding to start using her birth name (“The music has become more personal and intimate so it felt right to put it out as myself”, she explains), her beguiling debut album, ‘Problems Of Other Minds’, was released on Werra Foxma at the end of last year.
Why Elizabeth Crompton?
‘Problems Of Other Minds’ has certainly pricked up a few ears. Described by Crompton as a form of catharsis, exploring “apocalypse, death, love and mental health”, it’s a haunting record that knocks you for six. The tracks, some piano-led, others electronic, are all deeply atmospheric and utterly sublime, while her lyrics are up close and personal – at times almost too personal – like after-dark confessionals. “I keep thinking one of us should heal / I keep wanting one of us to live,” she sings on ‘If I Disappear’, an intensely sorrowful, no-holds-barred cut that makes your heart truly ache. She’s fascinated by fantasy and sci-fi too, as on the austere yet captivatingly hymnal ‘A Warning’, which depicts the end of the world amid slow, cocooning swathes of synth. “It’s escapism for me,” she says. “I’m easily lost in those sorts of stories and my imagination can run wild.”
Tell Us More…
The good news? Crompton has already started working on her next album and has 18 skeleton tracks ready to whittle down. There’s also the possibility of more music coming later this year. “I’ve had some amazing artists reach out to me about doing remixes of ‘Problems Of Other Minds’, which would be fabulous,” she reveals. Indeed it would. Remember the name – it’s one you’ll be hearing much more of.
‘Problems Of Other Minds’ is out on Werra Foxma
