Glaswegian singer-songwriter Lizzie Reid has revealed her second EP, ‘Mooching’ via sevenfoursevensix (Matilda Mann, Matt Maltese, tinyumbrellas).
Reid first released music back in September 2020 with lo-fi single ‘Tribute’. Her debut EP ‘Cubicle’, which followed in early 2021, ended up making the shortlist for The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) award and resulted in Arlo Parks inviting Reid to support her at two sold out shows in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It also won wide acclaim at press (NME, DIY, Line of Best Fit, Clash, La Blogotheque), radio (Jack Saunders, Radio 1 Chillest Show, BBC 6Music) and at streaming.
While ‘Cubicle’ centred around Lizzie’s first same-sex relationships, its follow-up - also produced by Oliver Barton-Wood (Nilufer Yanya, Porridge Radio, Jones) - discloses her mental health struggles for the first time. The title itself ‘Mooching’ comes from a phrase Lizzie’s Grandma used to use when her dog was begging for affection. “Stop mooching,” she’d say, and to Lizzie that phrase has come to act as a lesson to not rely entirely on others for comfort and to prioritise finding comfort within herself.
Diagnosed with OCD earlier this year, Reid suffers with panic attacks and over the last two years they have been more pronounced than ever. Her first piano-based song, ‘How Do I Show My Love?’ explores how the strain caused by the panic attacks left her unsure of how to express her love for others, whilst ‘Soda Pop Stream’ describes the physical feeling of an oncoming panic attack.
Her ability to publicly air these experiences nods to Lizzie’s increased contentment with who she is. ‘Cubicle’ revealed a person who was beginning to grow confident with her sexuality, whilst on ‘Mooching’ she banishes away any residual anxieties about displaying who she is for all to see. ‘Warpaint’ proudly tells the story of a girl that Lizzie had a crush on turning up to a party with a new boyfriend. Rather than dwelling on it like the thoughtful artist heard on ‘Cubicle’ would have, Reid keeps on dancing with her pals regardless. This is reflected in the bombastic, joyous backdrop of the track that was co-written alongside Andy Monaghan (Frightened Rabbit).
As indicated by ‘Warpaint’, that increased confidence is reflected in the much fuller sound heard on ‘Mooching’. The aforementioned ‘Soda Pop Stream’ opens with a standoffish cowboy cool, before soaring razor-sharp guitars arrive and chop the sky into pieces, whilst opener ‘Love Of Her Life’ is haunting; the whistle at the start would send chills down anyone’s spine. It’s on this song where Lizzie sings the EP’s defining statement, “I’m done with all my mooching”. She croons the line with swagger and soul, and with it announces the next step on a career path that Lizzie is certain to define entirely by herself.
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