New Music: Bess Atwell – Release Myself

Sometimes music can be a vehicle for allowing ourselves to be free, but also to let our vulnerabilities show. That duality seems to inform Release Myself, the latest single from Brighton-based Bess Atwell. It’ll also feature on her upcoming Light Sleeper album.

There’s an easiness and a sense of comfort about Atwell’s vocals that almost seems at odds with the soul-bearing nature of the lyrics. It’s a testament to her skills as an artist and lyricist, plus her choice here to pair that with a rock-infused arrangement that references British folk and classic Americana, that gives the song passion and presence.

The track lets listeners see and hear a very personal side of Atwell. “There are always a couple of songs on a record that just sort of fall out of you and this was one of them. This was the first time I’ve managed to write about my panic disorder without slipping too far into sorry-for-myself or cheesy, faux-empowering territory. It’s a song that says hey I’m struggling but I’m not a victim’.”

She adds about the album, “Light Sleeper is about the willingness to feel. While writing the album, I was realising that somewhere along the line I had become very afraid of feeling. The record is about facing this realisation and finding the bravery to challenge it. It’s still hard for me to believe that I got to make this record with one of my heroes, but somehow, I got that lucky. Aaron Dessner posted about one of my songs on Instagram at the beginning of 2022. We got chatting on there and before I knew it, we’d made plans to meet up at All Points East and were discussing making a record together. He told me that Light Sleeper is the first album he’s worked on in several years that he didn’t write, which is a huge honour.”

She continues,“My approach on Light Sleeper was to give up concern with what’s cool and to reconnect with why I make the things I make. I was afraid to really sing on my previous record, having come to believe it wasn’t cool or would draw attention to the fact that I am indeed an emotional woman and therefore not to be taken as seriously. This time, I wanted to really sing, I wanted to discuss my fears and feelings, I wanted to connect, and I wanted to perform like I meant it, because I do. After all, how can I write an album about the willingness to feel and be too afraid to sing like I mean it?”

Light Sleeper is released on the 24^th of May via Real Kind Records and can be pre-ordered on Bess Atwell’s official store. There’s some rather cool music and merch bundles there too, by the way. For pre-save options just click right here.

Atwell tours the Light Sleeper album later this year, as well as appearing with The National in Vienna, Bonn, and Edinburgh in July. For ticket and venue details, head over to the artist’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feeds.