What does the ‘L’ stand for in ‘L.Mayland’, you might ask? Answer: ‘Lizzie’. As to who Lizzie Mayland is? Well, that be the six-string virtuoso from beloved British quintet, The Last Dinner Party. This is a five-track trek into the mind and world of a talented new voice stepping outside of the group for the very first time.
First of all, for those LDP fans who are fretting, fear ye not: this ‘L.Mayland’ project does not signal the day job hitting the buffers. In fact, we’re reliably informed that the alt-pop mavens are currently hard at work on album number two – they’re probably holed up in some studio bunker as you read this very review.
The Slow Fire of Sleep is nevertheless a debut EP from their guitarist. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is a remarkably mature offing, undercut by a pastoral folky sound that summons the spirit of Nick Drake and Sandy Denny. Mood and texture are promoted above all else and it is a transportive, elegant experience. And whilst ‘ethereal’ is an adjective that gets casually sprinkled into modern-day music criticism with a frequency that’s more jarring than a Russell Brand podcast – and most of the time is about as useful as JD Vance in a Whitehouse briefing – there are times when it’s a descriptor that hits the mark. With that caveat laid out, ‘ethereal’ is exactly how one would describe much of the otherworldly, angelic lilt running through this EP.
The lyrical preoccupation is the notion of home – as much as a concept as a tangible place, with longing taking centre stage. Taken through the lens of its author, it is somewhat understandable. Mayland grew up gender-queer in the rolling hills of the Yorkshire countryside and has been catapulted abruptly under celebrity’s spotlight thanks to LDP’s breakthrough. What emerges in these tracks is a subtle scream for the simpler life, and for the anchor that old times provided.
Lead single ‘Lighthouse’ finds Mayland as a doe-eyed romantic, using the lighthouse metaphor to illustrate their lover as emotional safe harbour and counsel. ‘Your voice is the sail of my vessel’, Mayland gently serenades, making her partner’s value plain. Musically, it’s understated, too, using an alternating two-chord pattern to drag listeners in for the song’s soul-bearing, candid honesty. It’s pretty hypnotic stuff.
‘Mother Mother’, meanwhile, launches the EP with a hearty sigh and a pointed strum that, at first, doesn’t sound too removed from Pink Floyd’s similarly titled ‘Mother’ from the prog giants’ mega-selling, The Wall. ‘Mother said, ‘let’s make bread/Beneath the watchful eye of dawn,’’ Mayland sweetly sings, setting the scene of some faraway place as ambient effects swell and bubble around the acoustic guitar and vocals. ‘Homeward’ traces echoes from the verdant landscapes of her northern upbringing, and delicate background harmonies decorate and elevate the exquisite standout, ‘From the Other Side of the World I Hear You’.
You might not emerge from The Slow Fire of Sleep whistling any of its refrains (this EP is devoid of any pop hooks, and intentionally so), but this EP does evidence a canny songwriter with chops to spare. It’ll be interesting watching these skills sharpen as the solo work unfolds, and with it Mayland’s independent musical identity.
Editors’ Picks
- Debut EP
- EP Review
- Ethereal Folk
- Folk Music
- L.Mayland
- The Last Dinner Party
- The Slow Fire of Sleep
- Three-Star Review
