Hayley Ross releases her latest EP “Moving All Around” 9 November 2020

Hayley Ross rounds out 2020 with the release of latest EP Moving All Around on 9 November 2020 on Barracuda Recordings. Trading in her dreamy south-coast trademarks for a much darker, and rootsier palette of sounds.

2020 has been a busy year for the Brighton based singer / songwriter, which started with the release of her acclaimed debut album: The Weight of Hope which was championed as a "Brilliant debut" (The Daily Express, 4/5) and a “A late night listening goldmine” (Southern Daily Echo, 8/10) and established her on the 2020 stage as a songwriting talent to be reckoned with. Hayley followed the release with Come Back: The Remixes a collaborative EP featuring re-works of her track Come Back by N-Joi, Duncan Forbes (Spooky), Geek Boy and others.

While the songs featured on the new EP were initially written around the same time as those on her album, the tracks here are evident of an artist already determined to push her craft in new and exciting directions. Working with co-producer Martyn Barker for these songs, all tracks were further mixed by legendary producer John Leckie (The Stone Roses), who also produced Hayley’s debut album.

While the live music scene remains in limbo, to mark the release of Moving All Around, Hayley will be preparing a filmed album playback at The Loft at Ooosh tours, Brighton. Performing her album in tracklist order, Hayley will also be playing Lay Me down with a pianist live for the first time. Stay tuned for further announcements on this.

Hayley has also become a favourite with the well known IDLES AF Gang Facebook. As a result on 11th November Hayley will also be taking part in a live Q&A with Brian Mimpress of the group to talk about the new EP release and more. Join the chat here.

When I heard this EP was being released and we got confirmation we could review it… I was excited. I had high hopes for it, because Hayley’s debut album The Weight of Hope is exceptional, and one I listen to on a regular basis still. Indeed, I’ve only just ordered a vinyl copy from Rough Trade for my collection.

The title song Moving All Around is a song about living in a state of transience and yearning for a life less complicated. Hayley developed a fascination in the evocative photography of Tim Richmond and his documentary project ‘The Last Best Hiding Place… A Contemporary Look at the American West’; “This imagery inspired the whole feel” says Hayley, and “I just wanted to live in his shots. I liked how I felt when I looked at them. Wide open spaces, small towns, dust and heat.” And it’s clear to see how the unique landscapes and people he captured soon began to infiltrate and inspire her own work. Moving All Around has a distinct touch of Americana to it, with a wonderful sense of that dusty highway to nowhere delivered so effectively by the brushed drums and sliding guitar notes, which underpins her delightful and vulnerable vocals so well. Musically it reminds me of some of the slower Tiger Army Americana ballads, but with an evocative vocals performance that add to the sense of openness and wide open space.

Accompanying the title track are the previous unreleased tracks All These Things and Hope That I’m Wrong.

In All These Things we continue the Americana feel, with a slower track with a Mexican/latin influenced guitar rhythm running through it creating a wonderful moody piece. This is actually my favourite track on the EP and it’s the kind of thing you might imagine hearing in a smoke filled bar late at night in the middle of nowhere. The addition of a theremin from Nick Pynn adds to the haunting feel. The song, about the darker elements of what can come as part of the package that is love and being in love with a person… being flawed, impulsive, reactive and sometimes at the mercy of our own emotions is delivered flawlessly with beautiful harmonies and emotion.

The last track Hope That I’m Wrong came on and I instantly thought of classic Suzanne Vega, with it’s simple acoustic guitar intro. Very different from the first two tracks, it shifts away from the Tim Richmond Americana influenced theme, and switches the feel and is a track more like the tracks on The Weight of Hope (not surprising as they were written around the same time). The song is a reflective track about missing places and people from periods in your life that you can never get back to and is delivered with a sense of vulnerability and sadness. As Hayley says “like childhood, when it’s over, it’s over and it’s gone”. Unbelievably, the song was written in under 10 minutes while Hayley rehearsed for an acoustic show one evening. What I like about Hope That I’m Wrong is it’s simplicity - It’s stripped back to pretty much acoustic guitar and vocals with a wonderful and soft cello (Joe Giddey) section, which is where I will always think Hayley is at her best, showcasing her amazing vocal skills and lyrics.

As ever with Hayley Ross, it’s a dreamy and emotional EP that envelops you as you listen. For me the debut album brilliantly left you with a feeling of the sea, and these tracks give you the same sense of a wide open road in the back of nowhere in the US. Whenever I listen to Hayley I always feel it needs to be listened to alone…. The music works on a very personal level, and is something to be not just enjoyed but wrap yourself in. The lyrics are delivered in a wonderful velvety and intimate style that really makes you engage with and experience the music.

I hoped this would be good, and I wasn’t disappointed. Refreshing with a different feel overall to The Weight of Hope, but Moving All Around delivers, and delivers brilliantly and is well worth a 9.5 from LiveWire Music.

I’m looking forward to the end of lockdown and the return to live shows, so that I can experience Hayley’s music how it’s best heard…… live.