This is Etta Marcus’ debut album, so I was taken aback by how self-assuredly she leans into her own, unique sound on this release. While detectably influenced by the likes of Lana Del Rey, Sharon Van Etten and Phoebe Bridges, Marcus has a distinctly soft yet haunting voice, her lyrics simultaneously emotive and charismatic. While it all follows a similar vein musically, each song does something a little different - peppy ‘Girls That Play’ celebrates sisterhood, while ‘Dog Eyes’ mourns the loss of love. With this debut, Etta James has taken her well-deserved place on the musical radar. LT

Out now on Polydor