Irish singer and songwriter Etain’s (who takes her name from a mythical Celtic fairytale) latest EP In The Kitchen was released in late 2021 and sees her draw on her traditional folk roots. The four tracks offer beautiful vocals and acoustic, almost mythical sounding guitars that ground the whole EP in Celtic mystery. The songs are infused with an air of vulnerability, something that Etain herself acknowledges:
“Though I didn’t write the songs on In the Kitchen with this in mind; looking at them now, they capture my search for belonging – for a home – in the people and places I encountered in my early twenties. Over the past few years, my song writing has changed; it has become more vulnerable as I’ve tried to detangle my identity through my songs…When I step back from it and listen to it now, I can see my own coming of age over the course of the record.”
My favourite track of the four is the last, ‘As You Lay‘, an intense track that shows Etain’s vocal range and her ability to cut through to the nub of a song’s emotions. Swirling around a story of break up, the first line pitches straight into the heart of the story:
“I don’t think this is a heartbreak you recover from”
The other three songs showcase Etain’s breathy, ethereal vocal style and this, combined with the guitars, produces an enviably warm sound that envelopes the listener from the very first bars of the opening track, ‘Something More‘. The second and title track moves us figuratively and literally ‘Into the Kitchen’, a room that often symbolises the heart of everything in our lives and a place where we drift into for comfort. Etain acknowledges this as a place of memory with the line “I find myself in the kitchen again in tears, a memory of what I used to be”. It’s an EP that is both thought and emotion provoking. Etain’s advice for aspiring artists is also based in the emotional:
“Take time to find your purpose as a music creator. Use this to ground yourself when you’re feeling like you’ve lost your way. Be conscious of your decisions about your music and be deliberate in your choices – both artistically and from a business perspective. Most importantly, trust yourself.”
In the Kitchen was released in November 2021. Get your copy here.
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