Elles Bailey: Beneath the Neon Glow Review

Elles Bailey’s new album Beneath the Neon Glow finds her in a much different place artistically than she was while writing and recording 2022’s Shining in the Half Light. Due out August 9 via Cooking Vinyl, Bailey’s fourth studio album shows the English singer putting a greater emphasis on melody than she ever has before—a conscious decision she made after a revelation last year that she described in a recent interview with Blues Rock Review. As Bailey explained, she previously believed the lyrics to be the most important part of any song. Now, melody has taken over as her main focus.

This shift in perspective has resulted in an incredibly catchy collection of 10 new songs. The album opener and first single, “Enjoy the Ride,” was the last track Bailey recorded for Beneath the Neon Glow. With its shuffle beat and lyrical emphasis on embracing the journey over the destination, the song serves as what Bailey described as an “opening statement” for the album. While other tracks sound more complex—“Let It Burn”—and have a history before Beneath the Neon Glow—“Ballad of a Broken Dream”—“Enjoy the Ride” kicks the album off on an upbeat note, an exciting and memorable promise of things to come.

“Ballad of a Broken Dream,” which Bailey first wrote with her friend and fellow singer Tamara Stewart in 2019, arrives on the heels of “Enjoy the Ride,” giving the album a strong start. Though Bailey has spoken of how the personal story behind the song initially made her believe she’d never record it, the song itself doesn’t sound quite as weighty as one might expect. It’s a heartbreaker, for sure, but it’s nevertheless easy to imagine a future crowd of concertgoers singing the chorus right back to Bailey as she belts it out onstage.

The next couple of songs show Bailey continuing to weave multiple genres into her work, first with the slight country tone added to the ode to dependable love on “Leave the Light On” and next with the nostalgic “1972,” a song with a funk-leaning sound created through her band’s first-ever recorded use of a wah-wah pedal. Bailey then slows the album down with the reflective “Silhouette in a Sunset,” a twangy ballad that has a smooth, rocking rhythm.

Beneath the Neon Glow’s pace picks back up as “Truth Ain’t Gonna Save Us” launches its second half. The song spotlights Bailey’s sparkling vocals right from the start, reminding listeners of the power and agility of her voice as she sends it soaring while warning of the sticky pros and cons of facing hard truths. The album rolls next into “If This Is Love,” one of the album’s more rock-leaning songs that builds momentum with its jaunty beat and sassy lyrics.

Dramatic piano ushers in the final trio of songs on “Let It Burn.” The track’s full-bodied sound, a style Bailey compared with Hozier’s, sets it apart from every other song on Beneath the Neon Glow, with co-writer Katey Brookes’ backing vocals amping up the intensity as the best guitar solo on the album smolders about three minutes in. The mood shifts completely for “Love Yourself,” a sunny, upbeat song on which Bailey sings of self-love with backing vocal assistance, again, from Brookes.

The album closes out with “Turn Off the News,” a song recognizing the privilege of those who are able to “turn off the pain” after watching whatever horrific events unfolded in the world that day. It’s a contemplative end for an album packed with feeling. From one song to the next, all of the emotions contained within seem to be just below the surface, easily accessible for those willing to surrender themselves to the music. As Bailey hits the road this fall for her U.K. tour, it’ll be interesting to see which of her fans will.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Enjoy the Ride
– Ballad of a Broken Dream
– 1972
– Let It Burn

The Big Hit

– Enjoy the Ride