SINGLE REVIEW: AIDEN DALE - HEAD/HEART

Something is rising in the centre of London. A small collection of acoustic musicians who have been regularly performing together over the past two years in small pubs and open mic nights. Spanning across a wide range of inspirations and musical styles, they have been bouncing ideas and influences off of each other as each individual has worked to hone their sound and perfect their craft. It is only a matter of time before these artist begin to gain a wider audience and the ability to spread their music further out into the world. Originally hailing from Watford in Hertfordshire, ‘Aiden Dale’ is one of these artists. Having played countless shows in and around London in recent months, Aiden is set to release his debut EP ‘Head/Heart’ on the 26th March. Accompanying the EP release, Aiden will also be releasing a music video for lead single and title track ‘Head/Heart’.

Head/Heart is a beautiful debut and a perfect summation of Aiden’s musical style. Minimalist guitar work and gentle vocal melodies, Head/Heart isn’t groundbreaking in any particular way, but you can’t help singing along. The cheery backing track is bizarrely polarising against the intentionally vague lyrics of mental conflict and indecisiveness in a way that means you need to listen to the song multiple times. Despite this being Aiden’s first release, there is a lot more to Head/Heart than simple guitar and vocals. The track is filled with subtle bells and whistles; the addition of maracas to the low key percussion adds an extra dimension, as does the barely noticeable use of electronics and keyboards. Whether the rest of the EP will live up to the same level of quality will remain to be seen, but this is a strong start for what will hopefully be a successful debut.