They came dancing across the water with their guitars and songs, looking for a reason to feel like they belong—and, too, to celebrate both their birthdays (hers falls in December, his in January) and the new year. Big Apple-based singer-songwriters Léna Bartels and Nico Hedley, who’ve been each other’s constellation for a while now, have joined forces for a five-song EP that’s available on cassette via Bandcamp.
Bartels’ ruminative “January Is the Loneliest Month” sets the mood, the gentle strum of an acoustic guitar and plunks of a piano at odds with the lyrics, which dig into the cold start to her new year—and how change always comes in fits and starts: “Everybody has their reasons/For starting over again/For getting themselves lost/It comes back around again/You make the same mistakes/At the same cost.” The press release quotes her as explaining, “It can be lonely to reinvent yourself and lonely to watch other people reassess themselves.”
Hedley takes the next two songs, “New Year Song” and “Equations of Motion.” The former finds him musing on the illusionary nature of time: “It’s New Year’s Eve in New York City/Another year watching the clock/it feels a bit like being stupid/and a lot like being stuck.” “Equations,” for its part, reverberates like a lost Neil Young track, with Hedley welling feedback fuzz from his guitar while bassist extraordinaire Carmen Quill does her thing; the the lyrics are sparse yet evocative.
Bartels’ piano-based “Nothing Can Stop You” serves as a mantra or prayer for the new year, reminding herself of the endless possibilities within her reach. “It’s Gonna Be a Wonderful New Year,” written by Bartels and Hedley, ends things on a hopeful note, with the toy joining voices overtop of a toy keyboard’s programmed motif and more. It’s quite cool.
The five-track set is the first release from the duo’s new label, Rock for Sale. Let’s hope it leads to a full album; what’s here leaves me wanting more.
The Old Grey Cat 