The Orielles are a Manchester-based trio who features Sidonie “Sid” B. Hand-Halford on drums, Esmé Dee Hand-Halford on bass and vocals and Henry Carlyle Wade on guitar and vocals. The band’s fourth studio album `Only You Left` is shared with the world this month.
We are led into the latest release with `Three Halves` which is at times quite grungy but becomes a little more contemplative as it evolves with some charming cello hues. It speeds up in the later half and it`s lyrical content appears to be about taking possession of somebody whom the narrator is almost obsessed with and making them virtually godlike. There`s a more rolling percussive beat to the slightly jagged `Shadow of You Appears` which may be read as somebody seeking intimacy and affection. Again we enjoy some cello tinges and a delightful bass resonance as the number concludes.
`Tears Are` is an unanswered question, a half-phrase, according to Esmé: “You could think of something deeply human. But you could also answer it in a completely linguistic sense and think of a tear as a symbol or an image.” The number itself has a fairly irregular pulse at times but also emits a dreamlike ambience with vocals that are whispered and closes with a musical robustness. The title `Ember` to me metaphorically represents fading, lingering emotions or memories and this does seem to be the case with this fragile, gentle nigh on restless composition.
`Tiny Beads Reflecting Light` has a sort of eclectic jazz like ambience and the title maybe hints at an analogy of deceptive relationships. Woodlands generally evoke themes of magic, transformation, rebirth, and sanctuary, and `The Woodland Has Returned` does have that warm, encompassing sense of refuge, safety, and shelter. Esmé and Henry`s intertwining vocals really compliment each other of this reflective number.
`All In Metal` has a kind of shimmer and radiates a perception of susceptibility and sensitivity while `You Are Eating Part Of Yourself` which maybe about self-destruction, emotional exhaustion, or the internal consumption of one’s own energy, confidence, or mental health has a more absorbed melancholic feel.
`Wherever (I May Not Feel So Close)` has an underlying guiding percussive resonance and shimmers at times. A number that could be about feeling isolated and lonely. It also enjoys the dual vocalists trading off each other and some intricate guitar chords riffs. There`s a rhythmic beat to `Wasp` which usually implies power, evolution, and productivity but the lyrics here were a little surreal and “out-there.”
The final cut is `To Undo The World Itself` which possibly hints at changing the established order of things, one’s surroundings, or even a something much more personal. The track itself kinda floats along.
I have to confess that `Only You Left` was my introduction to the delights of this trio who if i`m honest left me wanting more. There`s a gentle intense vulnerability to this release but saying that it also has an underlying strength.
I was reminded of bands such as The Sundays, Cocteau Twins, All About Eve and Mazzy Star but this threesome have their own sound which melds indie dream pop, slowcore and space rock which becomes delightfully mesmerising with lyrics that allow your own interpretation.
Rating 9/10
