“The title track of GIYA’s latest EP, ‘Almost Real’ is full of bitter-sweet coming-of-age vibes, lifted by quietly jarring synths and pleasingly staccato vocals.”

The title track of GIYA’s latest EP, ‘Almost Real’ is full of bitter-sweet coming-of-age vibes, lifted by quietly jarring synths and pleasingly staccato vocals. 

Her voice has been compared to Dido in the past, but she’s got a bit more grit than that: clearly aware of her vocal abilities you can tell GIYA really doesn’t want to lean on trills and tricks. The production is pretty clean, but it’s a nice touch that they’ve left in the sounds of fingers moving over strings from one chord to another so it’s not too pristine.

The melody and simple guitar are sweet and open, and in someone else’s hands, it might be a little forgettable, but the lyrics and slightly scraggy vocals bring an edge and honesty to the track. 

At only 22, GIYA’s lyrics are impressively self-aware, whilst still feeling young and hopeful, “This is for the dreamers, Friday night blasphemers”. You can really feel the claustrophobia of being at that tipping point between adolescence and adulthood, as well as the unjaded yearning for something bigger and brighter.

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