Eve Buckley Talks Debut EP And Future Plans

Leeds-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Eve Buckley on the release of her debut EP, growing as an artist and what the future holds

Released on 14 February, her debut EP ‘Some Kind of Solace’ (SKOS) blends together rich vocals with alternative-soul and jazz influenced pop to make for a unique signature style. The four tracks, ‘Big Shot’, ‘Peace of Mind’, ‘Tongue Tied’ and ‘Ingrained’ create a musical journey bursting with life, whilst still maintaining a quiet vulnerability.

SKOS explores the journey Eve has taken thus far in life into self- discovery, taking an authentic look at the growth experienced in the early stages of adulthood, “Overall, it’s about learning myself and the realisations and things I’ve learnt at this point in my 20s. Most of the songs are reflections on experiences and feelings I’ve had that have felt like turning points and moments where I feel as if I’ve grown,” she said.

The EP name comes along with the idea of music and songwriting as a form of self-reflection for Eve, as she explained, “listening back to it now as a whole feels like a kind of resting place for those thoughts, and that’s why the name ‘Some Kind of Solace’ felt so right, because that’s what it brought me through making it.”

Her distinctive sound draws from a wide range of musical inspiration. “Listening to major artists like Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake had a huge impact on me, and then I discovered more alternative artists that I liked like Marika Hackman and Courtney Barnett, and I loved the way they wrote. But then, the place where I felt most comfortable in my style was more towards the jazz/soul influenced artists like Moses Sumney, Yazmin Lacey, Lianne La Havas etc,” the artist elaborated.

Not only does the EP articulate a journey of self-growth, the creation process served a similar purpose for Eve. “It was a massive learning journey for me, the first time I’d ever recorded my songs, worked with a producer, recorded vocals in a studio etc. Lots of highs and lows, times where recording the songs just flowed and were full of inspiration, and times we got stuck in a rut and a bit deflated by it. But most of all, the whole project just made me even more motivated to keep making and releasing music, because there’s no feeling like listening back to a finished track and just being super proud of it,” she said.

Her first single ‘Big Shot’, an energetic track which mixes velvety vocals with booming jazzy instrumentation, recently hit a whopping 100,000 listens on Spotify. On the fan favourite, Eve said, “It has quite an empowering ‘I’m worth more’ attitude to it, so I think people find it reassuring to listen to maybe. But I never would have predicted it reaching 100,000 listens, with it being my first ever single especially, it’s actually crazy!”

The singer/songwriter and guitarist has been recognised as ‘Artist of the Week’ by BBC Introducing and Jazz FM. “The support I’ve had from them has just been incredible, and the appreciation they’ve shown for my debut releases has really been affirming and a huge motivator. Hearing my songs played on the radio is really cool on its own, to then have my first releases made to be track of the week is the best feeling.

The SKOS singer has always has a love and passion for music.“I’ve sang constantly since I was young, and used to get my mum to film me singing covers of songs from albums she had in her car on CD, mostly a lot of Adele and Florence + The Machine, I was addicted to their first albums,” she said, “When I was around 8, I started getting guitar lessons, as my older brother’s a guitarist, so I looked up to him growing up and went to loads of his gigs in my teens. Then when I started going to gigs with my friends, it made me want to write my own stuff and gig, so I started going to local open mics!”

Early February saw Eve complete a mini launch tour for the EP, performing the tracks live in various venues across the UK. It kicked off with a gig at The Domino Club in Leeds, where she is based, a venue she had wanted to play since first moving to the city. The singer said, “We managed to sell it out, so the room was packed, it felt really surreal. Performing the music I’d been working on for the past 4 years in Leeds to a room packed full of family and friends was really special, and something I need to do more often from now. I had Henri Gaston and Kneil supporting who are local artists and I love their music, so it was really cool to play a show with them!”

Her favourite venue thus far to perform in however, has to be The Cardigan Arms in Leeds. “I performed there for the first time last March supporting Alice Kim’s EP launch and I just love the atmosphere of the whole place. So, after that show I decided to put my first ever headline on there in November, and sold it out which was really cool, and each time it’s just created a really intimate feel where I can just relax in front of a really lovely audience,” Eve explained.

The following performance was in her hometown Stoke-on-Trent, in a venue she had not played since age 18, supported by local artist Kez Liddle, describing it as a ‘full-circle moment’. Finishing with a sold-out show in London supported by Freya Leiya, Eve collaborated with Global Soul Radio, putting on the show at The Forge at The Lower Third. “It just felt so good playing the EP with the band to a packed-out room in London. It was a crazy way to end the tour and I can’t wait to get back to London to gig again,” said Eve.

The mini launch tour also saw the release of ‘Some Kind of Solace’ merch, designed by her best friend Ella Critchley. “I love it so much!”, she said, “a lot of the lyrics are about nature, and I wanted basically part of a face that melted into the t-shirt somehow, she absolutely smashed it!”

The rising star has bright plans for the future, saying, “I’m hoping to get a few singles out and then start the next big project! On top of that, I’ll definitely be gigging around and trying to venture to more and more new cities!”