Brooding and grooving: Heidi Curtis drops debut EP ‘Hollow Heart’
The emerging Geordie artist’s debut material teases the dark and moody while indulging dreamy indie melodies.
Photo: Jay Davison
Never have I heard such seamless, yet striking amalgamations of the gothic, soft rock and pop genres before. Step into the moonlight Heidi Curtis, and her dreamy debut EP Hollow Heart. Right out the gate, it’s a bit Gold Dust Woman (the EP’s Siren, especially, has Stevie Nicks’ trademark shawl and crystal visions all over it), a bit Hounds of Love, and a little like contemporaries Opal Mag and Florence + The Machine—for whom Curtis is opening on next month’s Irish dates.
Most of all, though, Hollow Heart is Heidi Curtis. It’s a sound she’s carefully nurtured and made her own, a space only she can define. And in that space, Curtis is Queen. Openers Hollow Heart and Behind The Door allow Curtis to be her most hexing, offering brooding, pulsing verses and ‘80s-tinged choruses. There’s a rich, Californian guitar tone throughout Siren and What Am I Missing?, which still prove some of the biggest delights on here. The EP’s closing number, Undone – Curtis’ first single – is as roaring now as it was back in November, offering radio-ready licks, punchy words and Lindsey Buckingham-esque crescendoes. The whole EP feels like a ravishing start to Curtis’ reign, and long may it continue. Modern music, eat your Hollow Heart out.
Hollow Heart is out now via AWAL.
