Bishop Briggs - Bishop Briggs EP

Bishop Briggs
Bishop Briggs EP
2017
Spotify

What Bishop Briggs has going for herself is first and foremost her incredible vocals. She has a rasp and soul that so few people are able to get and she reaches that level almost effortlessly. The previously released "River" leads off the album and shows how much power she is able to get behind her vocals. The music of the record is somewhere between downtempo electronic and some really gritty Americana, at times inspiring with Choirs in the background and at others just Briggs and an acoustic guitar. "Dark Side" might seem like an on the nose title, but the way She explores the idea and wraps it in this dystopian electronic buzz. "The Way I Do" also seems to take the looping idea to another level, creating this really big, really bold and really dark sound. She almost comes from the Lana Del Ray school of thought where she can paint really interesting pictures with her words even if they don't necessarily feel all that personal. It is almost the impersonal that makes her sound the best. "Wild Horses" combines this big bold sound with a trap-ish chorus that is really mind blowing. The thing you get most is just how open to creativity Bishop Briggs is, there really is nothing that she won't try in order to get the vibe she is looking for and the album really benefits.

Bishop Briggs as a record is interesting because it is bringing what R&B or alt-R&B have been doing for awhile and folding those sounds into this more down home inspired and fresh record. If there is one thing to say about the six track EP is that it does at time tend to drag because it is so downtempo. You keep waiting for something or someone to pick up the pace a little, but it never comes. She also tends to find a nice groove and then just hang out there for the entire song rather than blending in something new or exciting. It seems like when you first hear this sound because it feels so different there is an excitement that she just cannot maintain. Yet the haunting darkness of the record is so enticing, you want to feel the pain, feel the emotions right along with Briggs where ever those may take you. There is certainly quite a bit here, but this EP is more of a first step than a major debut. However if She keeps going this way we are going to be hearing a whole hell of a lot from Bishop Briggs very soon.

7.9 out of 10