Louisa Rowley – Anxious Soul (EP Review)

Anxious Soul is the new four-track extended play (EP) from London-based musician, Louisa Rowley. The EP’s tracklist begins with: ‘STOP!’. Louisa Rowley describes her song as a ‘personal, moving journey for the listener’. It’s a song, she writes, that details ‘a nervous breakdown, an autism diagnosis and multiple attempts to heal’.

Notably, the musician describes her own writing as having ‘signature raw, emotive and confronting lyrics’. The song’s abrupt start and her deep vocals suggest a confident, even loud, persona. This contrast, however, raises a question: Why would a musician who sounds so self-assured find life overbearing?

Instrumentally, the sound is powerfully energetic, driven by the pounding drums, a compelling groove, and a touch of horns.

Lyrically, the song is deeply personal and functions as an exercise in self-motivation. This takes the track into a psychological realm: assuming the material is autobiographical, the musician is actively conditioning their own mind and behavior. The lyrics suggest they recognize specific habits or thoughts that must be stopped in order to achieve the desired results.

The track ‘To Be Me’ opens with a slow build-up: it begins with lethargic guitar plucks before the drums enter, injecting energy and groove. Louisa Rowley’s vocals arrive ten seconds in. Her delivery on this track is subdued and less confrontational than on the opener.

Her delivery is often sweet, which seamlessly gels with the melodic instrumentation. Lyrically, the theme revolves around the deeply personal act of taking back control. What detracts from the listening experience, however, is the audibility; piecing together the narrative from the strained lyrics is a challenge.

Up next is ‘A Peaceful Retirement’. The song starts with some piercing, if not melancholic strings, and drums gives us some energy. Louisa Rowley’s delivery is again subdued. Lyrically, this track centers on the yearning for contentment. The persona – assuming the material is not strictly autobiographical – is modest in their aspirations, seeking only a peaceful retirement in a seaside home. More profoundly, the song delves into fears and introspection: the persona expresses being scared of the dark when alone and grappling with intrusive thoughts.

Instrumentally, the music adopts a jazzy feel, thanks to what sounds like a saxophone providing texture. As the song concludes, the tone shifts, closing out with a soulful, bluesy guitar passage.

‘Move On’ is the EP’s final track. The final track launches with a grungy groove, yet the instrumentation is periodically brightened by cheery flourishes. Lyrically, the song continues the EP’s theme of introspection, with direct references to ‘anxious thoughts’. The persona acknowledges a difficult past, asserting that now is the definitive time to move on and actively seek their happy place.

Ultimately, all the action is personally-directed – a deep, internal conversation where the musician is confronting their own life and struggles.

SCORE/ Excellent. This is an excellent EP. While monotony is often frowned upon, I find this EP’s deep concentration on a single subject to be highly commendable. It’s tempting to critique the project for excluding typical themes like love, but this very focus is what gives the work its weight and power. I admire how Louisa Rowley has chosen to look intensely inward, analyzing her own life without resorting to blaming others.

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