Her acclaimed debut album came out of a dark place – but the experimental London musician has a new lease of life for 2023
From London, England
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“That was like my angsty, sad, depression era, which I’m happy to say is now over,” George Riley says of her debut full-length project, 2022’s acclaimed Running in Waves. Written over a week in summer 2020, it was deliciously packed with diaristic turns of phrase detailing life challenges, evolving friendships and introspection; her uncategorisable music saw furious drum breaks, soulful vocals and mellow strings dancing for space. Take the stunning Time, a resounding manifesto in which Riley declares her boundaries and lists the things in life she holds dear: in-depth conversations, good weed, Camper shoes. Today she calls the song her attempt to “be in control where I haven’t been in control before”.