Theo Bleak is the musical project of Katie Lynch, a Dundee-based alternative artist known for her atmospheric and introspective sound. Her work draws inspiration from diverse sources, including alternative rock, emo, and visual storytelling, creating a sound that is both nostalgic and refreshingly unique. A new five track EP `Bad Luck is Two Yellow Flowers` is released this month of which Katie says: `Bad Luck Is Two Yellow Flowers` is an EP of my imaginings of my friend’s inner life. Each song is a different facet of our blurry friendship. The imagery behind my EP title is concerned with superstition, astrology, and the feeling of deep unwavering longing.
This extended play opens with `Peach Sky` and it’s a dreamy and ethereal composition with a hint of sadness. The singer has shared that “I wrote `Peach Sky` from fragmented thoughts and observations I had kept a record of, while reflecting on the second time I lived and worked on the Isle of Skye. The morning I left the island to return home; the sky was a beautiful peach colour. I reflected on how impermanent my feelings were.”
A rhythmic electronic drumbeat pulse with ghostly guitar chords and piano leads us into and through the wavering `Said Like A Poet` with it`s recurring theme of “I could have been someone” self-reflective and introspective.
In `Katie You’re A Liar` we enjoy flowing water before a gently strummed acoustic guitar where you can hear the fret changes guides us through this offering with double tracked vocal harmonies. The artist has shared that “It`s a song written from the perspective of those who hate me, about me” . A number with touches of distress throughout but i`m sure was fairly cathartic and as they say “the pen is mightier than the sword” so no better a response.
`Look Out The Window` is a song about the un-healthiness of obsessive longing. It` a fairly expansive submission where the narrator appears unfocussed, distracted maybe preoccupied. I`m sure there was a cello or string arrangement blended into the presentation. The final cut `You Don’t Want Me` apparently is the inevitable outcome of the previous number. It expresses a sense of melancholy and undesirability.
`Bad Luck is Two Yellow Flowers` runs at around a quarter of an hour and allows a flavour of what this singer-songwriter has to offer. There`s a real sense of vulnerability in the vocal delivery and it seems as if this extended play is a precursor to a debut album that is being worked towards.
Rating 8/10
