Hels Pattison blends Americana, folk, country and bluegrass with tales of love, loss and all the messy bits in between.
Opening the EP with ‘Skinny Dipping In November’, Hels delivers a super-sweet, nostalgic pop song, with fiddle and mandolin providing graceful interludes between the vocals and drawing on classic bluegrass tropes. There’s plenty to dig into lyrically, too, so take the time to listen. The fiddle dances through two of the remaining three tracks, giving the EP a lovely thread of continuity.
‘Love is Fire’ opens with guitar and percussion that perfectly complement the breathiness of Hels’ vocals. There’s an aching quality to the track as it explores self-sabotage, while the instrumentation adds weight without ever becoming too heavy.
For me, ‘Woe Is Me’ is the standout. Leaning fully into classic country sensibilities, it delivers all the familiar heartbreak of a timeless love song, but Hels’ voice reaches genuinely tear-jerking heights.
You can listen to ‘Missed Connections’ from tomorrow on all major streaming platforms.
