It has been quite a while since Greta O'Leary released her debut single, Outnumbered, but now she is back with the follow-up which is a precursor for an EP which is hopefully not too far in the distant future. What we have here is a solid case of alt-folk/dream pop which is full of passion, pain, angst and so much more. Her vocals switch between high and clear to low and almost offkey, so at times it feels naïve and wistful yet at others it is a voice which has lived and suffered. This year has seen me discovering more artists in a similar fashion, and there are definite similarities between what she is doing and Jazmine Mary, while there are also some moments of the likes of French For Rabbits as the song takes on dramatic turns.
The arrangement is very clever indeed, with a picked acoustic at the heart of it, yet we also get additional instruments when it makes sense, with gentle piano, percussion, bass and a very effective cello. There is a great deal of space, and the voice seems to move between the instruments, taking us on a journey. This is a song which needs to be paid on headphones and for the listener to pay close attention as it is then that the most can be gained. Here is a young artist with plenty of promise and for those into this style of music this is something to savour, while the EP cannot come soon enough.
Spook-folk Sweetheart Greta O’Leary is a songwriter and musician whose pervasive yet spacious sound cuts through the thickest of skins. Poignant, heartbreaking, and occasionally absurd, O’Leary seizes us with her dynamic voice, bending the folk-genre to another plane. Think Angel Olsen meets Vashti Bunyan.
Coming of age during a few nomadic years hitching the globe, Greta’s lifelong love of music was ignited through the folk scenes of Australia and beyond, a contrast to her childhood home of blues and rock and roll. O’Leary began publicly releasing in early 2022, her first single Outnumbered charted on independent radio stations such as BFM, RDU, Radio One and Radio Control, and gained 140,000 views for its self directed music video.
"Writing and feeling is truly all that has ever made sense to me”. Currently being mentored by producer/musician Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins, Marlon Williams), receiving NZ on Air development funding and previous mentorships from the inimitable Liz Stokes (The Beths), Frances Dickenson (Establish Music) and Aston Rd, it is clear this is a fact.