Elanor Moss returns with Citrus. This debut EP from the York songwriter quickly became one of my most anticipated releases, after hearing ‘Soundings’ just last month. Still to this day it continues to envelop my mind with its haunting performance and open-book honesty. While it did set some high expectations, fortunately they’re are exceeded throughout this collection of citrusly good (should be a tagline) songs.
‘Sober’ opens the EP with a similar topic to ‘Soundings’ as it reveals a reliance on distractions from life. The slow strum of acoustic guitar depicts the haze of the lyrics as Elanor wishes to get “too drunk to think”, as the softest of strings are heard in the background. The vocals manoeuvre through the layers, growing and fading from the speakers to really encompass you in its sound. It’s a great start to an EP that looks to invite you in further.
‘Lunar’ follows with duelling guitars creating finger-strung melodies that envelop and unravel within its intimate setting. It has a breathlessness to it that makes it so easy to fly by, making it difficult to not want to shut your eyes and just focus on it and nothing else.
The title track is the direct creation of a therapy session, and once again tells a no-details-spared recollection that eventually produced Citrus. It features the strongest set of lyrics and leaves little to the imagination. The chorus swoons with hope but is steeped in so much anguish. It is gut-wrenching and all encompassing all at once. Eventually making way for ‘Siren Song’, a closing song recorded as a voice note that features gorgeous acoustics that throws you right into that exact moment.
Detailing a series of events and the overarching story of pulling yourself from the brink, Citrus is an insightful, delicate EP that offers the pieces and allows you to pick them up however you like. Some could interpret it as a stark telling of a trapped individual, while others could see it as an honest reflection of what is now a previous chapter. It is equal parts sombre and hopeful, and the way it teeters on that border throughout makes it so exciting to listen to. Citrus is wonderful, and one of the most honest listens we’ll hear all year.