Review: Ruminating by Watson and Lockett (Debut EP)

“I’ve been ruminating lately
so much time to think and spin
all the thoughts that flit in daydreams
only now I let them in“

And with this intriguing invitation into their minds, Watson and Lockett open and frame a remarkably impressive debut EP which blends so many fantastic elements together in all the right ways. The four tracks contained within can be enjoyed on so many different levels. Ostensibly, each track is just a great, memorable and unique song, but delve a little further below the surface and you’ll notice how much craft and precision has gone into the release.

The duo’s musical ability is instantly apparent - they never settle on a simple four-chord progression and repeated patterns in any of the songs. There’s always development, a twist in the harmony and a carefully crafted rise and fall in pace and intensity. ‘Dancing on Rooftops’ even boldly and successfully changes time signature between verse and chorus. And while this is most apparently an indie-folk EP, Hazel (Watson) and Georgie (Lockett) bring vocal and musical styles from so many different places. There are definite shades of classical, jazz/blues and pop to be found along the way.

Lyrically, the EP is equally masterful. The lyrics to any one of the four songs could be recited as poetry without anybody batting an eyelid. This, coupled with the expressive and varied music really opens up a whole new and vivid world, and gives a great sense of Watson and Lockett as real people too, something they’ve maintained through even the marketing of themselves and the release. My favourite verse of perhaps the entire record is from ‘Ode to an Idler’:

“'I'll just lay here and let my soul dangle'
I wrote in my hammock drinking wine
my masterful inaction lets my
imagination run to places so fine, and they're mine
I'll read my books, and listen to birdsong
I'll sit and soak the sunshine on my skin all day long
the treasures of my mind and the time that found
my heaven is this hammock with its gold dust all around”

This, I think, represents a window into the duo’s perspective on certain aspects of life and highlights a skilful blend between authenticity and well-crafted art while maintaining a knowing sense of playfulness. While not every track is as playful as this, they all bring a certain sense of knowing and clear perspective, despite the complexity of the elements that have gone into the music.

Excitingly, Watson and Lockett will be playing an EP launch event at 8pm on Thursday 13th January, at Saison in Manchester - the info can be found here. The release is already available on Bandcamp here and will be available on other music streaming services around the time of the launch event.