Phoebe Hall – Runaway
Five years ago I was at a restaurant called Aquiesta Coco in Santiago, Chile. The chef had a motto: ‘Reduce the speed and feel the moment’. It’s a pretty cool philosophy, and one I’ve tried to keep in mind ever since. It’s tough though. We live in a world where the pace of everything seems to be increasing, and there is a never ending barrage of information to process. It’s pretty hard to switch off.
Enter Phoebe Hall, a voice of tranquillity in a sea of noise. Her songs are so beautiful they should be in an art gallery. Phoebe is a rising star of the British music scene. She’s already been featured by the BBC, through the radio series ‘BBC introducing’. Her previous single ‘Just the Same’ was their record of the week.
Phoebe Hall’s latest release is ‘Runaway’. A gorgeous acoustic intro gives way to Phoebe’s silky voice. It’s so warm and natural that it needs little by way of studio production. Her long time musical collaborator Jonny Owens adds some great instrumentation, and the low beats per minute give ‘Runaway’ a distinct dream like feel.
Lyrically the song tackles the strains of being in a challenging relationship. Strains that are all the more palpable when you consider the song is written from an LGBTQ+ perspective. Lines such as: “I guess that I can’t blame you for hiding me away from your parents and the people that you love” really hit home, and give the track an emotional intensity.
Writing about emotionally intense issues and pairing them with laidback beats is a tricky one to pull off, but Phoebe Hall does it perfectly. With more new music in the pipeline, Phoebe is going to delight us for many years to come. So, if you’ve had an intense day – reduce the speed, switch on ‘Runaway’ and feel the moment.
MakeIt-Loud 