Soham De - Blue EP
Kings Lynn-based artist Soham De has already made a huge impression on the local scene at such a young age. The 22 year-old singer-songwriter blends a great balance of melody, rhythm and structure to his work, and it has seen him cross genres, from humble acoustic to transient electronica. Soham’s latest E.P, Blue builds on his fond reputation. De acclaim has gone beyond the local sphere, and has seen him perform at the likes of WOMAD, and was due to perform at Wild Paths before its cancellation.
Blue follows on from De’s collection of singles from 2019’s Bury Me to Deer and from the 2018 releases The Next Nowhere, Forest and A Confession. This short E.P. demonstrates the gifted talent of Soham’s ability to develop structure in his work in terms of his romantic ballad and husky tone of voice.
The opening track ‘Uphill’ cries an emotional longing for love. De sings: ‘They see a childish lover but you know there’s more than that’. These lyrics capture De’s ability to play on heartstrings and they convey that tenderness and love have a lot more than meets the eye. Second track Hill House evokes more tenderness with his lyrics and wholesome chord structure reminiscent of José Gonzalez and Ben Howard. The story sees ‘two little love birds finding a place to nest’. It is clear that for Soham De that home is where the heart is and Hill House captures this beautifully. The final track, The Other Side of Pain is an emotional ballad that deals in loss, love and self reflection. The lyrics (as suggested by the title) express a regret for past mistakes, but a chance to move on from these mistakes. This E.P. expresses a deep repressive melancholy that comes to the fore in an all-encompassing way and which you couldn’t possibly be unmoved by.
6/10
