MUSIC REVIEW: Treasure Horse EP
Release Date: 18.11.2022
Treasure Horse is an insanely atmospheric and wonderfully crafted debut EP from alt-folk musician Greta O’Leary, released on November 18th.
The instrumentation on the EP is lush and cinematic – the performing musicians bring their all to every track, and glide effortlessly from moment to moment while keeping the distinctive emotion of each individual song. This can be seen immediately in the first two tracks: ‘Mountain Tip’ is a solid folk piece and once it ends, we are launched straight into the cool jazz of ‘Honey Babe’.
I love the way that so many stylistic approaches are explored over these 5 tracks. One moment, I can feel as if I’m taking in the cool autumn air, and then I’ll be whisked away to an intimate underground bar, the next moment. While I listen, I feel like I’m not just watching a film but rather that I’m an actor in one, and that O’Leary is a directorial visionary taking me between different set pieces in a wider narrative only she knows the entirety of.
O’Leary’s vocal delivery is incredibly unique to her, I genuinely can’t think of any other performer to relate it to. What sets it apart, for me at least, is that the importance of her lyricism isn’t anywhere near as important as the use of her voice as an instrument. Most lyrics on Treasure Horse are difficult for me to understand as individual lines, but they always cement themselves as a driving melodic tool in every one of these five songs. It’s unimportant what the lyrics say, but how they make the listener feel in the moments after they are said.
Occasionally, odd phrases stick out once in a while, such as the “I never did like talking anyway” in the opener ‘Mountain Tip’, or “I turned ten / my horse, she died” from 'The Birthday Song’ – and O’Leary carefully delivers these lines like a camera operator pulling focus on objects in the mise-en-scene. O’Leary knows precisely what is important to each song, and it feels that she has meticulously crafted her performance to follow the ebbs and flows of her stories.
Particularly in ‘The Birthday Song’, I love how the saddened lyrics of the verses lie in near opposite contrast to the uplifting chords which carry the song. It makes the repeated mantra of “This year will be the best year yet” feel so much more hopeful in the face of hopelessness and past negativity. It’s an oddly optimistic-sounding closing track after the darker/slower-paced songs which precede it, and a great way to finish off the EP.
My personal favourite tracks are definitely ‘Honey Babe’ and ‘Outnumbered’. The brass parts that come in at 1:44 of ‘Honey Babe’ seamlessly intertwine with the vocals, like friends sitting at a dining table talking with each other – always giving another room to be heard.
Conversely, I love how strong O’Leary is on her own in ‘Outnumbered’, delivering the track almost as a soliloquy. The muted hits of the guitar halt the instrumentation for a moment, commanding the listener’s attention to focus solely on her. There’s a brief moment at 3:25 where the backing musicians fade out, isolating the vocals and emphasizing the loneliness of the whole track.
I highly recommend that you find 20 minutes of your time to listen to this EP – even 40 minutes so you can listen to it twice in a row! I can’t wait for the opportunity to catch these tracks live, and I’ll be listening to this while I wait for what comes next.
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You can listen to Treasure Horse on Spotify or Apple Music.
