Connect with us

We Speak Music

DD Allen Set to Captivate with Poignant Single ‘Holborn Avenue’ Ahead of Debut EP Release

Published

on

From a rebellious schoolboy in Bournemouth to a rising indie-folk sensation, DD Allen is making waves with his heartfelt artistry. His new single Holborn Avenue, serves as the final chapter from his eagerly anticipated debut EP, Rebel Hero. Following standout singles like the title track, Born To Love You, and Green Room, Allen’s latest release cements his place as a compelling voice in the indie music scene.

Holborn Avenue is a stirring exploration of first love and its enduring emotional echoes. Built around Allen’s evocative falsetto vocals, textured guitars, harmonica, and subtle synth layers, the song evolves into a soaring indie-folk anthem. Allen’s emotive songwriting and commanding voice evoke comparisons to Neil Young, Noah Kahan, and Michael Marcagi, crafting a sound that is as timeless as it is contemporary.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the song, DD Allen shares, “I think how you handle the weight of your memories defines who you become. Even though Holborn Avenue sounds like a heartbreak song, that whole story and chapter of my life makes me smile. It’s probably the purest song I’ve written. She always had a gift for turning an ordinary day into something extraordinary. It was a special journey, and we were young. But fate tore us apart in the end.”

The song captures the bittersweet essence of youthful love, evolving from an intimate ballad to a rousing indie-folk anthem as it builds to the emotive refrain, “away from Holborn Avenue.”

DD Allen’s Rebel Hero EP, also releasing January 24, promises to be a deeply personal collection of songs that resonate with themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. The EP will be available as a limited-edition deluxe CD, featuring five previously unreleased bonus tracks, offering fans a tangible keepsake of this heartfelt project.

With his distinctive voice and intimate songwriting, DD Allen has built a growing audience eagerly awaiting his debut record. His ability to balance nostalgia with hope has made him an artist to watch, and Holborn Avenue is set to further solidify his place in the indie-folk world.

Stream Holborn Avenue and join DD Allen on an emotional journey through love, loss, and transformation. Experience the full Rebel Hero EP on January 24, 2025, and embrace the artistry of a rising star who is redefining indie folk.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

We Speak Music

Acclaimed US singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd to tour the UK for the first time this summer.

Published

on

Shortly after releasing her sophomore album in 2007, US-based singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd walked away from music completely for more than 10 years, feeling burned out and unhappy with her career progression like so many other independent artists. After going through a divorce in 2019 and in the midst of a global pandemic, she found herself pulled back toward the siren call of songwriting and again making the leap to pursue it full time. Her latest album ‘Carnival’, released in 2024, is in many ways the culmination of those decisions, and the reintroduction of an artist who now has the wisdom of experience.

There’s an unmistakable urgency you can feel when a song is written and performed from a place of complete honesty. That feeling permeates ‘Carnival’. “I’ve always been envious of writers who say they write songs because they have to, because they had these things they just had to get out of themselves,” Juliet says. “I had never really felt that way until this album. I’ve become someone who writes because they have to.”

Stylistically, ‘Carnival’ draws on a range of influences from Laurel Canyon-era singer/songwriters, to Lilith Fair rockers, to confessional country/folk balladeers, to indie pop. The central theme of the record and that of its title track is not being too precious about any one experience or decision. Take them for what they are, live in the moment, and move on when they’re done. It acknowledges also that memory can be subjective, and ambiguous—was an experience ultimately a good thing or a bad thing? And whose memory can you rely on to determine the answer to that question?

‘Carnival’ doesn’t just deal with the complexities of ending relationships, it also deals with all the feelings that come with moving on. The album’snine songs feature evocative storytelling that reveals a simple truth: when the carnival inevitably leaves town, you’re left with an empty parking lot. And how you remember, it is a choice. As Juliet sings in the title track, “If only there was a way you could bottle up that feeling / and you’d drink it in / when the days are short and you long.”

Across her 20+ year career, Juliet has been admittedly stylistically non-monogamous. Her first full-length album, ‘All Dressed Up’, was released in 2005 and was heavily jazz-influenced- a label that she rejected at the time. “I am a piano player and a woman, so I was immediately compared to Norah Jones—and I bristled at that,” Juliet says. “Listening back now, I can totally see that it was true, and it of course wasn’t a bad thing.” Her follow-up release ‘Leave the Light On,’ came out two years later and featured a slick piano-pop production that led to five of its songs being placed on reality TV shows on MTV and VH1. Coming back after her 10-year break from writing and recording, Juliet released ‘High Road’, a collection of five Americana/soul-tinged songs produced by Jim Ebert (Meredith Brooks, Shai) that earned her widespread recognition and songwriting awards both in her home region of DC as well as nationally.

Now with her first ever UK tour scheduled for July 2025, Juliet has also dropped a completely brand-new single ‘Wild Again’, which like ‘Carnival’, was written with and produced by Todd Wright (Lucy Woodward, Butch Walker, Toby Lightman). ‘Wild Again’, however, charts yet another new step in Juliet’s journey.

Carnival’, is full of deeply personal songs that are drawn from my real-life experiences and relationships. Coming out of that album cycle, I was feeling a little exhausted by my own navel-gazing and I was craving inspiration elsewhere. So, a lot of the songs I’m writing now are an evolution of sorts – focused more on external stimuli and finding the personal stories and humanity in that. Wild Again is a perfect example of this,” she explains.

The idea for ‘Wild Again’ was born out of a NY Times podcast Juliet listened to about the real-life efforts to return the whale that played Willy in the iconic movie ‘Free Willy’ back into the wild.

“It’s an insane, heartbreaking story that asks all kinds of thorny questions about human responsibility and humility and what’s the “right” thing to do and is that the same as the “kind” thing to do. There was a line that one of the trainers said in the podcast, explaining that they were trying to “train him to be wild again.” The complete absurdity of that statement hit me in the moment, and I immediately started jotting down lyrical ideas”, Juliet says.

Catch Juliet Lloyd on her UK tour this July:

1st July: The Folklore Rooms / Brighton
2nd July: The Hyde Tavern / Winchester
3rd July: Hen and Chicken / Bristol (CRH Music promotions)
4th July: Artisan Tap Hartshill / Stoke-on-Trent

5th July: Waggon & Horses, Nottingham

6th July: Cafe#9 / Sheffield
7th July: Hyde Park Book Club / Leeds
10th July: FortyFive Vinyl Café / York
11th July: The Muddy Puddle / London
13th July: The Wrotham Arms / Broadstairs

Continue Reading

Trending