L.Mayland - The Slow Fire Of Sleep EP

Watching an artist step away from the spotlight to whisper their quietest truths is beautifully disarming. While The Last Dinner Party continue their meteoric rise, guitarist Lizzie Mayland has carved out a tender space of their own with 'The Slow Fire Of Sleep', a debut EP that trades theatrical flourishes for intimate confessions.

The transformation from electric guitarist in Britain's most talked-about new band to folk-inspired storyteller might seem stark on paper, but Mayland navigates this terrain with grace. Opening track 'Lighthouse' sets the tone - stripped back to little more than acoustic guitar and that remarkably vulnerable voice, it explores the terrifying possibility of losing love just as you've found it.

'Mother Mother' examines nurturing roles with an unflinching honesty. Here, Mayland's songwriting really shines - the influence of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake is evident, but there's something distinct in how they process anxieties.

The title-track might be the EP's crowning achievement, tackling environmental despair and political upheaval with an intentionally unresolved atmospheric weight. It's a masterclass in tension.

'Homeward' serves as a love letter to Yorkshire's countryside while questioning what home really means, while 'From the Other Side of the World I'd Hear You' closes the collection with a meditation on distance that feels particularly relevant in our disconnected age.

'The Slow Fire Of Sleep' is adept at carving out its own identity while never feeling like a rejection of Mayland's other musical life. Instead, it's a complement - evidence that there's real courage in letting yourself be quiet. In stepping away from the band's bright lights, L.Mayland has found something that glows with its own gentle intensity.