Loz Campbell – Green Eyes

A debut album should always be a special thing; often it’s more heart than head, born out of adversity and raw excitement. This is especially true with albums such as this, written and released across the transition to adulthood. Loz Campbell is just 18 years old and Green Eyes constitutes a year of hard work, preceded by a couple more finding her feet as a live performer. It has those great raw ingredients of a debut work and also, perhaps, some of the usual stumbling blocks but overall we are in exciting territory.

In contrast to her earlier work (she has also produced an impressive run of Eps prior to this release), there is a stronger Grunge vibe across the work but the atmosphere is defiance as opposed to angst. The three-piece setup of the band that presents the majority of the tracks here are tight and efficient with Loz herself proudly upfront on line-in-the-sand tracks such as ‘Generic Girl’ and ‘My Inspiration’.

These bolshie tracks exist in a strange place; it feels that they are singer songwriter tracks presented in a louder more distorted style rather than the work of a genuinely punk influenced band. This idea makes more sense as the album progresses and additional styles are thrown into the pot; a drum machine leads one track, pianos enter – I expect some strings but we never quite get there.

The songs are the core and across the album the experiments in form are welcome, even if a conclusive direction is never forthcoming. For me, this is one of those positives of a debut album and the journey here is measured and thought out.

As the first piece of work by an emerging singer, songwriter and band, Green Eyes is a fine accomplishment. Formative years can be difficult to bottle, certainly in a way that appeals in a mass form. Here, we have a songwriter, skilled beyond her years, caught on an upward trajectory. This album deserves to take her far; into new venues and into a wider consciousness. With age and talent on her side, it will be interesting to see just how far over the coming years.