On her most recent single, 'Good News', Coyes cribs the stylistic and genre trappings of folk, gospel and ambient; transforming them into a hauntingly effervescent treatise on the impact of death and generational trauma on her and the people in her life.
The track kicks off with a sparse acoustic guitar, gently elucidated by Coyes’ soaring and palpable vocal delivery in the first line, "My brother calls me in distress looking for another breath / Say, "I've only got one left in the pack" / Says, "I'm calling from a bloody bed" / Don't worry, I think that's all of it, and death enters". Musically the track remains fairly consistent throughout, introducing a dry and steady drumbeat after the first verse, then a quiet piano part way through the second verse, and a shaker in the final section.
Each line after the first brings more into focus a story of a family haunted by the spectre of death and disarray. At parts this is externalised as a looming figure moving through the various scenarios. Coyes recounts, "My cousins call out in the winter / What I wish I could give them / But there's no pedigree when we're half-breeds / Have you at least heard the good news?/ They said we will save you / Death meanders around the room." The brunt of this emotional turmoil reaches a head in the refrain as she addresses both the lister and herself- "But can you imagine a crowd? / Would you imagine a crowd around you now? / In front of all of the people".
For fans of acts like Lizzy McAlpine or Maggie Rogers the stripped-back, straightforward confessional atmosphere of 'Good News' should make for an incredibly emotionally engaging listen.
Kenneth Butcher
@kazu_kb
Image: 'Good News' Official Single Cover
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