If you know me by now, you must be aware of how I adore artists who are willing to wear their heart on their sleeve and be brutally honest about themselves. Whether that’s telling personal stories, sharing their thoughts on the way the world works, or even writing lyrics so personable that you can see yourself in their words.
Now whether the latter point is telling on yourself or not, it can be a weight lifted to know that you’re not alone. That’s the beauty in Irina Imme and her music.
That name might be familiar to you if you remember the article I wrote last year on her, at the time, more recent singles or even the interview I conducted with her while at IAMUR. For me, I find that Imme is the very embodiment of the phrase “beautiful sounds, dark lyrics” as each song details a personal journey regarding self-growth, heartbreak and figuring out one’s place in this world.
Her latest EP, Blue Forever, was released in October last year which features singles Globe and Stupid which I wrote about here. As for the remainder of the EP, each track contains that signature Irina Imme style of writing vulnerable lyrics alongside an upbeat guitar rhythm that might be acoustic in one instance and then with a full band in the next. Bonus points if it also features elements of psychedelic rock and 00s pop-punk-emo.
Whether it’s Jonah and it’s reminiscent pop-rock sound of the noughties alongside lyrics that take you back to the simple time of being a teenage and being “in love” (oh honey, you’ve got a big storm coming), Again and Again that has a lullaby quality that, once again, brings you back to childhood, or the jokey self-deprecating lyrics in Not Enough that one would be simultaneously dancing and crying along to.
Her most recent single, Welcome Back, decides to break the cycle of what we might come to expect from Irina. Opening lines and acoustic guitar make you think we’re about to hear a song about feeling lost, when suddenly, the full band kicks off, in a style like that of opening of Hole’s Celebrity Skin, and the lyrics take a more upbeat turn. It’s like the dark cloud following you has suddenly disappeared, and everything is filled with colour as you find yourself happy again. You find yourself back in the childlike state of hope and wonder. And it’s beautiful.
For Imme, Welcome Back was a deliberate change, brought on by a walk around London. “It’s about the joy of reconnecting with your authentic self and your inner child. I initially got the song idea when I was on a walk around London and realised for the first time in month, or even years, I felt happiness again. It’s a song about healing.”
You can listen to Welcome Back here.
