In an era where bedroom pop and digital production often dominate the indie landscape, Ella Jinks' "This Fall" arrives like a warm embrace from another time. The London-based singer-songwriter, fresh from her acclaimed 'Conversations' EP, delivers a piano power ballad that feels both timeless and perfectly timed.
Co-written with the celebrated Katie Melua, "This Fall" showcases Jinks' remarkable vocal prowess – a rich, sonorous instrument that recalls the warmth of Chappell Roan's "Kaleidoscope" while carving out its own distinctive space. There's a vintage quality to her delivery that belies her 24 years, suggesting an old soul housed in a young artist's frame.
The production choices here are deliberately sparse yet impactful. Built around a wistfully played piano, the arrangement creates space for Jinks' voice to soar and settle, allowing each emotional nuance to land with precision. It's the kind of song that conjures images of early 2000s evenings, when parents might have played similar soul-warming tracks as autumn drew in – a musical equivalent of a well-worn sweater or a cup of hot tea.
What sets "This Fall" apart is its emotional intelligence. The song explores the necessity of embracing pain rather than numbing it, a theme Jinks articulates with remarkable clarity. This understanding that suppressing sadness ultimately diminishes our capacity for joy shows a maturity in both songwriting and emotional awareness that elevates the track beyond mere melancholy.
The collaboration with Katie Melua proves particularly fruitful, with Melua noting the "stunning chords and harmonic steps" Jinks brought to their session. This musical foundation, combined with their shared commitment to emotional authenticity, results in a song that feels both carefully crafted and naturally evolved.
Jinks represents an intriguing paradox in contemporary music. While her bluesy, soulful indie-folk style draws clear lines to influences like Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell, and Lianne La Havas, her perspective remains firmly rooted in the experiences of young adulthood. It's this combination – timeless musicality paired with contemporary emotional exploration – that makes her such a compelling artist to watch.
Following her DIY debut EP 'Conversations' and her BBC Introducing feature with "Maybe In Another Life," "This Fall" feels like another significant step forward. It's a song that demonstrates not just Jinks' vocal and compositional talents, but her understanding that the most powerful music often comes from embracing rather than avoiding life's more challenging moments.
Review by Hannah Schneider
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