Molly Payton - 'Handle'
The New Zealand born, London based singer-songwriter is back with a dreamy new single Handle.
Molly Payton has had a busy couple of years. Her debut EP Mess was released in the spring of 2020 which established her as one of the most exciting new voices in indie-rock. Later that year, her sophomore EP Porcupine came out, followed by last year’s Slack, and August’s Do It All the Same, a single that saw her reflecting on past choices.
Payton moved to London from New Zealand aged 16 to pursue her career, which definitely seems to be working for her. Earlier this year, she supported Tom Odell and Beabadoobee on their tours. She is set to release her fourth EP Compromise next month, and Handle is a very solid offering. It’s spacious and wonderfully sparse at the beginning, her voice low and arresting. “Sunshine feels like sugar down in Greenwich” she sings softly. There’s something undeniably cinematic about the track, it shimmers and glistens like dew on a lawn. Payton ruminates on being 17 throughout the song, and how “anyone meant anything” when she was.
Building with layers of guitars heavy with reverb, drums come in after the first chorus, elevating the song magnificently. “What is love without something to lose?” Payton asks during the bridge, but it's more of a statement than a question.
Ending with the same line it began with, the song feels like it’s come full circle, and is certainly satisfying to the ear.
Words by Lucy Skeet
