Don’t Be Alarmed  –  Olivia Awbrey (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

The real charm of Olivia Awbrey’s music is the multi-tasking that goes on. It is enough that she deftly hops genres – alt-rock, psychedelia and punked up folk all going into the mix as well is shouty gang vocals, pop infectiousness, indie cool and college rock wonkiness – but lyrically she is typically mercurial too. Don’t Be Alarmed mixes wit, wisdom and whimsy taking in everything from political machinations, climate change, social commentary, particularly the creeping gentrification of her Portland base, not to mention bacon…all in just over five minutes. That’s quite a full itinerary.

Long associated with a more folk sound, this single is the perfect stepping stone between those more considered sonics of the past and what next year’s sophomore album promises to be all about. Over the next few months she will be playing both the Pacific North-West and a run of shows in Colorado before heading to the UK in September.