Alaskan singer-songwriter Ava Earl offers another preview of her forthcoming album.  This time, it’s the title track.

Release Date:  22^nd August 2023

Label: Self-release

Formats: Download, Streaming

It seems like only yesterday – in fact, it was last week – that I sat down to have a listen to a new single from Alaskan singer-songwriter Eva Earl.  On that occasion, the subject was her song, Ears Bleed, a thought-provoking contemplation of the permanent single-sided deafness that has recently affected Eva’s right ear and, it’s fair to say, this writer was well and truly smitten.  

Well: hot – very hot, in fact – on the heels of Ears Bleed, comes the next single to be taken from the forthcoming album, and, this time, it’s the album’s title track, Too Much.  The song is a microcosm of the themes that are set to dominate the album, essentially, a journey through Eva’s early childhood, including the concept of being “too much.”  

I’ll return to this concept shortly, but first, it’s worth taking a little time to recap on exactly who Eva Earl is, and to consider what makes her ‘tick.’  Because, there’s no doubt about it, Eva Earl is a strong, complex, stoic and restless lady.  A bundle of energy, as I’ve labelled her in the past.  

As well as forging a considerable reputation as a purveyor of folky, poppy Americana, Ava is reading political science at Northwestern University, Illinois, where she’s also a key member of the university’s successful Division-1 cross country running and track team.  She’s also still coming to terms with the physical and emotional effects of her loss of hearing – a condition that would be devastating for anyone, but has to be doubly so for a musician.  

Ava sees many parallels between her participation in athletics and the aspirations she has for her music.  As she explains: “I honestly do see a lot of similarities in this trajectory.  We made it to the finals [of the US National Cross-Country Competition] because we put in the work, we had the support of our coaches, families and friends, and we believed in our potential.  I feel that exact way about my music right now.”  And, Ava, on the evidence of the singles Too Much and its predecessor, Ears Bleed, that confidence appears to be well-placed.  

But, back to the themes and concepts of Too Much – the album and the single.  Ava once again takes up the story: “Women are often told or made to feel like we are ‘too much.’  We are too much for our peers, too much for our own good.  We are supposed to wait our turn, couch our ideas in questions, and just be small.  That’s never worked out for me.  From a young age, I have been labelled ‘too much’ and I know from experience, I couldn’t be ‘less’ if I tried.  The [new] album works through those feelings of being too much – both for others and sometimes for myself.”

The album’s title track – the new single – confronts this duality, along with her experience of single-sided deafness and her own romantic insecurities.  Not that you’d necessarily realise all that from an initial cursory hearing.  The song is a danceable, bright, poppy affair, built on a crisp drumbeat and a churning, smouldering electronic backing, Ava’s voice is well to the fore of the mix, which gives the listener every opportunity to get to grips with the sometimes less-than-comfortable subject matter of her lyrics.  Nevertheless, Too Much is a thoroughly enjoyable track and yet another encouraging portent of the treats to come when Too Much – the album – hits the racks on 29^th September.  

Keep an eye on these pages – we’ll be covering the whole show!

Listen to Too Much – the title track from Ava Earl’s forthcoming album – here:

Ava Earl online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube

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