If you’re looking for a unique style of modern pop indie that blends superb vocals with easy riffs and catchy lyrics, then you should have been listening to my recommendations for the past few years. Findlay, heralding from Stockport, is the artist to wake you from your trancelike nightmare of what I can only dub as passable guitar music that encompasses the 20’s decade so far. Releasing her first album in 2017- and now with a second under her belt- she stands out for me as having the potential to be this decade’s musical breakout artist- although admittedly, this is probably in quality and not popularity. For fans of Suki Waterhouse (whom she has collaborated with), Radiohead’s album In Rainbows, and MGMT- you need to listen.
To claim that I discovered Findlay would be arrogant- I was told about her through my dad. I’m not entirely sure how he found her, but as I always take his taste seriously- that and the fact that he played her nonstop- I soon became a devout fan. Consistently a cornerstone of my playlists since her vocals entered my ears, I am still yet to see her live, despite having tickets to a cancelled gig a few years ago. That’s not to say I’m not sure she is sensational live- her gigs on YouTube verify that she is incredible.
But enough about my experience- what about her? Her first album- Forgotten Pleasures- is an easy-listening but lyrically complex starter that marks itself as one of the few debut albums in the modern era to feature no filler tracks. I cannot recommend enough that one should listen to the album as a complete package- it is clear the tracklist was crafted precisely to fuel your emotional standing throughout. That said, if you’re limited to time, Off & On, Stoned and Alone, and St. Elmo’s Fire precisely pinpoint what Findlay is all about- although I would bet good money that after listening to those few you will soon be back to listen to the rest.
Between this album and her next, Findlay ambitiously launched a second project with a long-time collaborator Jules Apollinaire, dubbed TTRRUUCES. Their 2020 self-titled album flips the coin on what Findlay’s first album demonstrates, with solid psychedelic overtones and a more experimental form of music. Although this leads to one or two weaker songs than may be associated with Findlay thus far- the highlights truly eclipse any disappointment and renders a genuinely exceptional and distinctive record. The climaxes of the disc- see Something Inside, Sensations of Cool, and The Disco- cataclysmically blew me away upon first listening. They still do now on relistens.
To say that I have been zealous thus far in spitting Findlay’s merit would be accurate - but it is on her 2022 album- The Last of the 20th Century Girls- where she triumphs. Like Forgotten Pleasures, each track is perfectly manufactured whether you want melancholy or guitar-smashing euphoria, and the transition from one to another is pleasurably fluid. In the slower tracks- see Retour and In Love Again- the Suki Waterhouse comparisons are most present, both in vocal complexity and lyrical emotion. For a more rock’n’roll feel, in tracks that will undoubtedly get on your feet, check out The Parisienne (lyrically, it sounds great, but I don’t speak French and therefore cannot comment on their complexity) and Life is But A Dream. Both have slower segments that erupt like Vesuvius to bring ash of Dad dancing into your bedroom- at least in my case. For a more pop feel, the Showstoppers Night Sweats and Apricots fulfil your Two Door Cinema Club needs. The rest of the album is just as good- but not all the words in the Library of Babel (obscure reference, but search it; it is excellent) could correctly reflect it, so I will not attempt to. Just make sure you check her out.
If that’s how you would describe this genre, the guitar future looks bright with Findlay. I hope I have a chance to see her once after my last chance was cancelled. As I’ve said, I dedicated many conversations to immortalising her music, and I hope you will go and do the same after this blog.
A good article Jacob, I found Findlay from Playing PES 2020, one of her tracks, "Off and On" was on the playlist. From your dad!