At just 19 years of age, Melbourne singer-songwriter Cloves has created one of the most impressive debut EPs I’ve heard all year. The title XIII gives nothing away, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I pressed play. However, what I received was some of the most intimate and beautiful songs I’ve heard in some time.
Cloves drew me in instantly with her heartfelt songs about love and loss, all-too fleeting romance and the heartache that lingers. The subject matter isn’t new, but in these songs she brings some freshness to familiar terrain. I love the simplicity of these songs. With just a little acoustic guitar here, the gentle strains of a piano there, Cloves’ beautiful, rich voice and poignant lyrics are at the fore. The single “Frail Love” drew me in instantly, but every song on this four-track EP is superb. It’s seem mean to single any out, because each one is just so special.
Apparently XIII was written with the aid of Lana Del Ray, regular Sia collaborator Justin Parker, and Rich Cooper, who’s worked with Tom Odell and Mumford and Sons, just to name a few. Their influences are apparent; I can hear a lot of similarities between Cloves and Lana Del Ray’s work, yet I feel the songs are a little more accessible than those of the British chanteuse.
XIII is out now. Cloves will support its release with shows supporting British songbird Soak in January.
6 January 2016 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
8 January 2016 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney
Image used with permission from Positive Feedback