‘Faultlines’ is a collection of captivating tracks that showcase Evie’s remarkable vocal prowess and her ability to weave heartfelt stories through stripped-down melodies. Drawing inspiration from her own experiences and reflections during the isolating pandemic years, Evie found solace in exploring the transformative power of taking chances and the profound impact it can have on personal growth.
Evie says of the EP: “The songs have vivid imagery and storylines, which is emphasised by the unaccompanied raw vocal, and paired back and intimate sound. All the songs have a sense of risk in them with many of the characters escaping society’s expectations or at least trying to. So, I called this EP Faultines because of the connection to massive forces that push us together, or in a certain direction or pull us apart leaving something new. I was also interested in the idea of ‘fault’ in terms of a ‘taking of responsibility”.
In choosing the songs and exploring this theme further Evie explains: “In the song ‘I will Give My Love an Apple’, the singer tells of the ultimate risk they are taking to open the doors of their heart and mind completely, to the one they love. I think of it as an invitation to us, to take this ultimate risk to cross a boundary or the walls of self-preservation that we sometimes build up around us. In the second track ‘Orra Loon’ the characters are on two sides of the faultine of class and culture. The ‘Loon’ is apparently a member of the upper classes, who is pulling away from his set pathways and meeting a common woman they are taking the risk to cross those divides. Her risk of course is to be with a man who is surely a lunatic to give up the kind of resources always denied her and her people.
In ‘Slave’s Lament’, Robert Burns comes up against society’s (or his own) attitudes towards slavery and how his encounter with a slave ship docked in Fife seems to have changed his mind about going to work on a plantation as an overseer, and thinking again about the race faultlines that are shaping the society he lives in”.
Evie Waddell’s unique musical journey is informed by her diverse range of interests, skills, and experiences. As a passionate advocate for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, Evie integrates various forms of artistic expression into her performances, incorporating British Sign Language and contemporary dance. Her collaborations with esteemed organisations such as Solar Bear, Theatre Gu Leor, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, and Magnetic North have allowed her to explore the rich intersections of Gaelic culture and communication, amplifying the voices of the d/Deaf community.
Recorded at the renowned Gloworm Studios in Glasgow City Centre, ‘Faultlines’ EP was meticulously crafted under the expert guidance of sound engineer Keir Long.
