Ever precocious singer-songwriter Laura Marling has reached the ripe old age of 19 and to show her added maturity has stripped off the peroxide and will be releasing not one but two albums this year. Plucked from second album I Speak Because I Can, the new single is carved from the same cloth as Marling’s previous material; continuing with older-than-her-years lyrics and earthy folkisms.There will no doubt be grumbles, not just about the hair, but about the expansive production values on display courtesy of Kings of Leon’s old pal Ethan Johns. While it’s not a total departure from debut Alas I Cannot Swim, if ‘Devil’s Spoke’ is anything to go by, Marling’s more mature sound displays enough promise to prove that her debut wasn’t a once-off.
Words: Lisa Hughes
