Leah Pritchard

‘The Mouse Deer EP’ (EP, self-released)

Girl-group harmonies forged from a single vocal melody and a bounding guitar line. The elegance of a Joni Mitchell ballad veering towards a Disney-esque union of romance and malevolence, as loose handclaps and gutsy bass creep into the mix. Holly McIntosh knows her way around a melody, but has the sense, with a voice both delicate and clean cut, to not let the songs get too pretty – to let the guitars fuzz, to let the cymbals erupt in contained explosions. And when it’s not achieved through dirtiness, it’s a ‘Skylarking’-era XTC kind of weird. Catchy and poppy and instantly likable, yet spiritedly unpredictable. The moment you think you’ve caught the tune or the structure, it slips away like a wet bar of soap. (Leah Pritchard)

www.facebook.com/mousedeersound

From Venue.