Mathilda Homer; The Lower Third (Down); Wednesday 30th Sept, 7pm; £16.83
‘Pretty In Blue’ encompasses all the facets of Mathilda’s artistry today. An ode to her best friend, who she says was “feeling like her worth was strapped to her unbelievably beautiful looks”, the track also speaks to her hopes not to impose similar, toxic belief patterns onto her own children.
It also marks a sonic homecoming for Mathilda, with a return to the folk-indebted singer-songwriter influences she grew up with. She sounds at home, her vocals sincere and graceful, winding over hypnotic guitar picking that evokes the work of Eva Cassidy or Joni Mitchell. Her voice has a hazy effect, an ionate flutter that expertly traverses from sweet and soothing to commanding and spirited.
“If a song is good, it will come out really fast. And if it’s not, I’ll never labour over a song, because I’ve laboured over two kids in my fucking living room. I don’t need to push any more things out,” she laughs at her new songwriting mantra. “If I overthink it, it becomes too complicated. If it just falls out, that’s the good, true thing.”
