A hazy dusk falls on a crossroads somewhere between Gloucestershire and Bristol. A wooden signpost points in two directions: good ol’ fashioned country heartache to the left; effortless pop hooks to the right – and underneath, cross-legged on still-warm car bonnet, sits Katy J Pearson, strumming an acoustic guitar as she spins a tale of blossoming dancefloor romance.
Combining an incredibly unique voice with a penchant for timeless melody, Pearson – recently on tour with Cass McCombs and forthcoming dates accompanying BC Camplight & The Magic Gang – pens tracks that only could have come from her years growing up in the rolling hills of the West Country.
And so, with the release of ‘Return’, the debut album – out now via Heavenly Recordings – nowhere is Pearson’s talent more sparkling than on the BBC 6 Music A-listed “Take Back The Radio”, or lead single “Fix Me Up” – an unbelievably hooky country-pop crescendo about wishing for salvation, but ultimately working things out on your own, written at the peak of her creative tumult.