JJ Lovegrove: Things Only The Dark Knows [EP] [Live]

JJ Lovegrove is an artist I've been following for a while, initially drawn in by ethereal snippets of music I came across in my virtual travels. She has a distinct approach: beautiful vocals over layers of atmospheric sound, sometimes soothing, sometimes unsettling, always evocative.

Her new EP 'things Only THE daRk knows' was released on 21 October (you can find it on Bandcamp here), and it's a great work. Through the record, produced with Minus Cube, she displays an absolute mastery of painting sound pictures: it's dark, atmospheric and sweepingly brooding. 

The record was officially launched at a live (physical and online) event at Rough Trade in Nottingham, also featuring a number of other artists. Sadly I couldn't get to it, but fortunately a very good friend of mine was able to help out (making this the first ever contribution from another author) - here are his thoughts:

I arrived just in time to catch the end of the set from Wilted Flower, a local acoustic emo duo. Micki's vocals often strident, painfully honest and sometimes bleak, set over Ryan's deftly crafted chord-rich guitar work, made for a poignant and atmospheric feel. There appeared to be a theme running through the lyrics relating to a lost relationship.

Next up was Luke Broughton, complementing the previous act with his unique, sparsely woven but nonetheless effective, guitar playing, and touching, ethereal vocal style; both seemed to be borne of a deep sense of yearning. “If only we could be free” was a line that stayed in my mind and seemed to encapsulate the narrative of his material. Mid-way through saw the introduction of Jenna, whose angel-like soprano added a sense of transcendence. The last number concluding with the lyric “Give me something to breathe”, sung over a singular repeating guitar note, made for a moving finale to the set.

Even before JJ Lovegrove began her performance, the room at Rough Trade had been transformed by the subtle addition of incense, and further accentuated by the low blue lighting, which established the mood for the cinematic, fairy-tale like introduction and the brooding theme which laid the scene for what was to follow.

As the intro drew to an end, a bare-footed Judi took to the stage and launched into the mesmerising 'Ghost', with its haunting multi-layered vocals and breathy backing, rushing in and out like the tide washing over the listener.

Then came 'I'm Fine' (released as a single earlier this year) - a moving and lyrically introspective number - followed by 'Weapons Down', a simple but evocative downtempo ballad, a brief departure from the driving momentum of the previous tracks, the lyrics providing a sense of vulnerability heightened by the lack of percussion. Next up was 'Milk', probably the most upbeat of all of the songs, showing some conventions of a love song, but still with JJ's distinctive layered sound and inspired lyrics (for example “Memory foam reminds us the edges of ourselves”) and the echoing vocal outro nods to one of her probable influences.

The set closed with the EP's title track, 'things Only THE daRk knows', beginning with a reprise of the now familiar intro. This song has a movie-like feel - it would be well-suited for the end credits of a dramatic film - and demonstrates more lyrical brilliance with lines such as "It's been a paper-cut day". The guitar solo fell relentlessly like a rain of fire, and the song concluded with a final return of the main theme.

Although I was already familiar with some of her work, I had no idea what to expect when I went along to see JJ live. Her performance exceeded my expectations by some way. The timeless, dramatic and euphoric on one end, to the crafted, nuanced lyrics and attention to detail on the other, provided a multi-sensory experience which had the audience transfixed from the start.

At one point I closed my eyes and imagined JJ playing a far larger venue, in front of thousands, backed by a full band. With such a unique talent and powerful material, it may not be long until this vision is realised.

Words and photos by Charles Stickley for Music Observer