Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Chester (UK) artist, Linnéa. Lonely is the second track from Linnéa’s upcoming debut EP, Fixation. Lonely is released today, June 20, 2023.
Lonely is a deep dive into the darkness and turmoil surrounding mental health issues. Lonely is about being your own worst enemy – trying not to listen to your negative self-talk and wanting to break away from negative cycles. It is a song that searches and hopes for inner peace.
Lonely starts with some grungey rock guitars and comes straight in with a full sound immediately. Dropping back to bass and drums, distant vocal sounds join the mix and set a slightly eerie scene – giving the listener an insight into the chaos that happens in our own minds.
When the vocals come in, we were very much reminded of Nelly Furtado. Like Furtado, Linnéa has a strong lower register with plenty of character and a piercing demands-to-be-listened-to style. Like Furtado, the higher notes are slightly nasal and thin, but that’s not a negative with either this track or with Furtado’s style – it suits the song’s subject perfectly.
Singing, “I don’t feel safe in my own head,” gives the listener a real insight and in the choruses, Linnéa is almost begging to be left alone from the voices that haunt her.
An interesting rap section in the middle of the song breaks things up a little, which builds into an instrumental section with distant vocals before launching back into a final chorus section and a stinger ending.
Ideas from our ears
In general, the mix is a little heavy on the drum track. A small push on the fader for the accompanying instrument tracks would help fill the sound out a little better. A hi-pass filter set around 40Hz would remove some unnecessary low-end rumble. A boost around 150Hz could help with some extra warmth too. The vocal track is peaking in the 700-900Hz area resulting in a slightly ‘honky / nasal’ tone so a cut here could help balance it out. Lastly, there are parts of the drum track where the hi-hat sound is peaking at around 9kHz giving it a ‘piercing’ sound so a careful cut in this area could help. A light compressor / limiter on the overall track could also help give the song a thicker and fuller feel. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Linnéa’s latest single, Lonely, is a promising start for this burgeoning new artist. Her unique dark-pop style and instantly recognisable vocals will stand her in good stead for the future.
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