Known to an adoring army of fans as the powerhouse frontwoman of Holy Moly and the Crackers, Ruth Lyon’s solo project has been simmering away in the background for a while and now gets to take centre stage.
It is certainly a very different vibe – if Holy Moly is Saturday night’s shindig, this is the Sunday morning: mellow, reflective and with around half of the songs referencing God, religion or the church in some way.
“I love being in a party folk rock band where everyone’s dancing around,” Lyon said in a 2023 interview for Gateshead venue the Glasshouse, where she has been an artist in residence. “But the music that really speaks to me is more piano-based, melancholic, and dramatic.”
That last word perfectly describes the album’s strongest stretch just after halfway as ‘Confetti’ – an opening cry of “Darkness will you wait? I’m bleeding out my anger. I need to wring my heart out, wrap it in newsprint till it’s dried out and ready” giving way to stark brass – is followed by Caesar and November in a standout trio among a set of songs which grows with repeated listens.
Lyon’s own descriptions of the album have put an emphasis on the abstract nature of her deeply personal lyrics. A self-described “wheelchair cruiser” and passionate advocate for disabled access to the arts, while the topic may not be directly addressed here it is easy to hear the repeated references to weighted clothing (“Rocks in my socks” on the lead single ‘Books’, and “a blouse filled with cement” on the closing ‘Seasons’) as a metaphorical representation.
Holy Moly have been on hiatus while Lyon (as well as drummer Tommy Arch) develops this solo project. I hope there is more to come from the band in the not-too-distant future but in the meantime, this haunting and evocative side to Lyon’s musical personality is more than worthy of taking the spotlight.