East of England free spirit Daisy Victoria burst on the scene in 2014 with the well-received EP and curiously titled ‘Heart of Beef’. The ‘Nobody Dies’ EP was released the following year. Both records garnered the attention of Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne, the latter calling her a “rising star”. The solo artist followed that up last summer with single ‘Pain of Dancers’, which our David reviewed here, calling her an “intriguing, gifted young artist”. In 2 weeks’ time, Daisy is releasing another EP, this time with serious muscle behind her in the production department that should interest many an indie fan.

‘Animal Lover’ is the lead single on the new three-track EP. For their newest effort, the goth-leaning Daisy and her songwriting partner and brother Sam worked with producer Dan Austin, a protégé of Gil Norton’s (Foo Fighters, Pixies, Stornoway’s most recent album ‘Bonxie’). Austin had previously engineered and mixed the Pixies’ recent EP trilogy, and of particular interest to us here at TGTF was his production work on Doves’ ‘Kingdom of Rust’ and Jimi Goodwin’s debut solo album ‘Odludek’ in 2014. ‘Animal Lover’ bears little resemblance to Black Francis’ works, except perhaps in whimsical subject.

Already having been compared to Kate Bush and Patti Smith for her unique songs, Daisy Victoria seems on track to becoming the 21st century version of the eclectic storyteller. In her single, Daisy profiles a reclusive lover of said animals but instead of being a Doctor Doolittle, he appears to be more of a David Attenborough version of Jekyll and Hyde. Who else would put cockroaches and caviar together in a blender and press the on switch? As a biologist, I hate to point out the incongruity of Antipodean “koala cubs hanging from the hearth” with American “capuchin monkeys sleeping across his unmade bed”, and I’m almost positive sea cucumbers would have trouble setting up shop in a bathtub. That said, as incredible the stories Daisy Victoria tells, they’re part of a world you want to get lost in.

Thankfully, though, the animals that appear in this song more likely serve as metaphors for what else might be lurking in this man’s mind. Perhaps this is a fanciful take of the story in Blossoms’ ‘Smashed Pianos’ I talked about yesterday? The forceful guitar licks in ‘Animal Lover’ – particularly the jolly introduction – along with Daisy’s operatic singing chops easily take up your attentions if you don’t fancy a delving into the lyrics as I do. Quirky, catchy and memorable, let’s just say we’re keen on hearing the rest of Daisy Victoria’s new EP.

8.5/10

Daisy Victoria will self-release her ‘Animal Lover’ EP on the 19th of August. The title track single is available now. For more on the singer/songwriter on TGTF, including my coverage of her and her band at Norwich Sound and Vision 2015 last October, go here.

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