Only the gentle are ever truly strong, sure. This is especially true when these sensitive individuals find themselves on the precipice. While it’s not a comfortable place to be, it can sure provide some breathtaking camera angles. This is where singer-songwriter Galatea Georgiou is reporting from the new EP “How It Feels To Know.”
Art might save us all, but it also has the potential to ruin our lives while it has us searching for the truth. Georgiou’s seeking is well documented in the music. And while the songwriting craft is impressive, it certainly hasn’t been born out of an easy, carefree ride.
First impressions are everything. The title track opens the record with the force that only truthful, uncomfortable confessions can bring. It sets the tone. This is folk-based music, sure. But few protest singers ever ventured that far into their psyche, and fewer still were brave enough to present to the world what it is they had found.
“Tied Hands” is led by jazzy piano chords. It blooms with the whispers of betrayals, failed relationships and the emotional maelstrom that all of this creates. The emotions conveyed here may be raw, but Georgiou’s methods of expressing them are subtle.
“Lying” mixes the holy with the profane, with the singer’s troubles with getting herself to sleep presented almost like a death cry to a celestial being. The lyrical hook is “I don’t want to die alone”, and it is presented over sweet, minimalist instrumental backing that could otherwise persuade you that you’re listening to pop music.
“Passengers” is the most straightforward track, a folk-pop confession in which Georgiou addresses her audience directly. Admitting your frailty and fears over the possible lack of meaning of our existence takes guts, and this folkie has got the grit.
Still, with the capacity to channel this kind of beauty, you’d think that Galatea Georgiou has found herself, has come to a point where she’s achieved balance. That may be true, but she’s not allowing comfort to distract her, as can be heard in “I Don’t Believe in Destiny,” a piano ballad in which she promises to let go and free herself from the things that have imprisoned her.
It’s easy for folk-pop singers to fall into the trap of merely wanting to deliver pleasant, palatable songs and good news. Galatea Georgiou is far too forthright for that, and “How It Feels To Know” seeks to provide the truth instead.
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