Brisbane balladeer Lucy Korts is releasing a 3-track EP of stirring, raw renditions of her most popular tracks, available from October 7th. Making her debut in 2017, the artist has previously shared the stage with the likes of Alex Lahey, The Paper Kites & The Temper Trap and at the Carnival of Flowers. The tracks included in the Stripped EP have had radio play on B105, Triple J and 4ZZZfm, but now for the first time we are able to hear new tender versions of each song, stripped back from the pop releases and filled with an ounce of emotion each.
Let's jump into this evocative release and grab it by the tearducts.
Her biggest single 'Not Your Type' is reworked into a more intimate version with piano and vocal. The echoing grand piano remains, as does the rolling melisma and big feels, with the rising bridge and cathartic ending. But you can hear the room it was recorded in. You can smell the wood panels, see the lonely trees out the window pane. You feel her voice break in between goosebumps. The bridge is even more hard pressing and breathy, and always with her trademark bottled charisma.
'Gone' also features on the EP and might just be my favourite, but it's admittedly hard to pick. the regular strings & synth with desert drums and jungle lush vocals have been swapped out for the depth of churning piano waves. The keys hurt, with broken & defeated vox, the chorus raw as ever and more pronounced. The honesty of the performance is blistering, with strength returning in the bridge and vocals blasting. Lucy Korts hits the high notes and strums the heart strings, with tears hitting the floor as the final note rings. I recommend listening to this one in the shower. To mask the crying.
The final piece of this triptych is 'Everyone,' with the fast guitar, buzzing synths of the OG version traded out in what is the most contrasting track when compared to the original. We still have the huge soaring climax, but the laser beam chorus is done with vocal chords on full blast. Here is where we see how truly masterful Lucy's voice control is, when you realise that she doesn't need any effects or production to hit those notes in the chorus, she IS the chorus. I love the sick little staccato piano notes that drive it forward, and the pause before the second chorus. That missing beat says it all, with all the emotional outpour you could ever want just oozing out of it. Similar to heavy music, the most important part of a breakdown is the silence between the notes, and this little ditty has all the emotions you could ever want to breakdown, all neatly wrapped in a voice that melts.
You need Lucy Korts in your life, whether it be the Stripped EP or her moody singles. When you walk your cat. When you lick your dog. When you get out of the shower and notice the colour of the mat. Every waking moment, and every dozing dream. She's got you covered. Break up, wake up, bake up, take out or make out, there's a song for every occasion on her lips and you can see her live on the 1st of October. Be there with bells on and stock up on the tissues. She's playing in Bangalow with Michael Johnson, DAMIEN and King K Yog13 at 6 pm. Tickets available HERE. Follow her and get her into your ear holes today. Trust me, you need to. We all do.
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