It has been three years now since Billie Black graced us with her last release 000 100 but now she has returned and she is better than ever before. The 23 year old artist has a unique sound that comes from a fusion of Jazz, a genre that she listened too a lot whilst at university, and Electronic music. It’s this combination and the passion behind her vocal that makes her music stand out from the crowd and her latest EP The Last Time is a perfect example of this.
The EP starts off with the title track, The Last Time, and it’s a wonderful re-introduction to her music with it starting off with a cinematic string sections before we get the inclusion of soft synth beats lead by her lusciously smooth vocal. There’s a certain lustfulness that comes from this track, which makes sense considering Black wrote it about the desire of pursuing a love you know isn’t good for you, but for some reason you just can’t let it go. The delicate ambience helps amplify this meaning further with the track building up to Black eventually finding strength from that vulnerability she expresses throughout the track.
Next is After All where Black’s emotively poignant vocal shines its brightest. Every word she sings you believe, you feel that emotion cascading out of her with the purity of her vocal taking you on this divine journey with her. The production enhances her vocal further with the free flowing electronica sound mixed with the gentle beats being built around her vocal to make it be at the forefront of the track. The lyrics are astonishingly beautiful, reminiscent of classic Billie Holiday, and a passion that can’t be topped.
The final track of this EP is actually Black’s personal favourite from the EP, although she loves all the tracks obviously. Long Way To Go is one of those songs that should’ve been in The Great Gatsby soundtrack, I can just see this playing in the background as Jay Gatsby looks out from his window to look at the green light across the lake. It’s one I would love to see Black perform live with a full orchestra behind her, it would be a truly mesmerising experience.
Over the past three years I have really missed Billie Black’s sound and this EP everything I could’ve wanted from a comeback and more. It has that timeless sound that makes her music so special and every time you listen to her feel like a grand experience.
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