On Hold [Limited Green]

These aren’t just songs about being sad; instead, Lily expels her frustrations at the people and situations that made her feel that way in the first place.

When talking about Fenne Lily, many point to her single “Top To Toe” and it’s impressive 22-million streams on Spotify. It’s a beautifully subdued song about the pain of first loves, with a hushed acoustic pluck providing the only backdrop and while it’s an extremely affecting introduction to the Bristol songwriter, Lily also wrote it when she was 16. Four years later, there’s an important shift in her output.

The vulnerability that made her so relatable is still a prominent part of her work but there’s also a powerful excursion in anger and fear. These aren’t just songs about being sad; instead, Lily expels her frustrations at the people and situations that made her feel that way in the first place.

The way Lily executes these stories is with a refined, gentle nuance. At the forefront of these narratives is Lily’s vocal delicacy, performed with such a robust vigour that makes it difficult to focus on much else. Often, it feels as though she’s barely breathing these words but it’s through this sort of fearless execution that On Hold finds its power. It’s a playful exercise in dynamics, carefully constructed to bring together the most compelling aspects of her tales.

—Gold Flake Paint