Rosie H Sullivan - “Lazy River”
Photo provided by artist
Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter Rosie H Sullivan has returned to us with “Lazy River,” a delightful offering of modern folk-pop.
“Lazy River” first enters your ears in a rather lo-fi and intimate manner, due in part to the raw strums of acoustic guitar that appear at the press of the play button. They set a wonderfully folksy backdrop for the track, providing that good, old-fashioned up-close-and-personal listening experience. This is further cemented once Sullivan’s delicate and heartfelt vocal performance arrives, with a magnificent sense of stripped-back charm that will have you enchanted within the first twenty seconds.
Ambient swells rise and flow in the distance, adding a grand sense of depth and width to the production, slowly letting “Lazy River” crescendo as Sullivan reveals her falsetto and an exquisitely multi-layered wave of vocals. The soft notes from an electric piano appear, adding some dynamic melodic detail to the ever-expanding arrangement. Just past midpoint, the song delivers a full-band performance, including a chill, vintage-tinged rhythm section that simply oozes with analogue flavor. Additional guitar textures find their place; however, the real highlight here is all of the beautiful layers of vocals.
Sullivan adds that “Lazy River” is “a song about living your life, continuing to do ‘real’ ‘normal things’ and moving on although there is sadness from loss of a relationship. The river represents the feelings of love and care for someone now distant. You can still see, hear and feel them constant and consistent, but you can’t stem the flow, reach out or go back to how things used to be. Sometimes it’s healthy to acknowledge the human nature of wanting to go back but knowing you have to move on. Moments of weakness are inevitable.”
“Lazy River” was recorded with Sullivan’s long-time producer Ross Hamilton (Seafret, Izzy Bizu, Jack Savoretti, Vraell) and is perfect for fans of Maggie Rogers and Lizzy McAlpine. Get the track into your ears wherever you get your music!