L.Mayland - The Slow Fire Of Sleep EP Review
On their quietly powerful debut EP, L.Mayland steps out from The Last Dinner Party to explore identity, longing, and home through intimate folk soundscapes and unflinching emotional clarity.
While touring as a member of The Last Dinner Party, Lizzie Mayland went from spotlight to spotlight, from big stages to bigger ones still. During brief breaks from the bright lights and busy schedules, L.Mayland and their debut solo EP The Slow Fire Of Sleep were born, as they occupied a disorienting psychological space between the intensity of being on the road and the relative normalcy of daily life back home. But the project feels anything but disorienting – Mayland presents a cohesive folk soundscape with intricate acoustic layers akin to Brian Eno’s textured instrumentals, while also demonstrating consistent emotional depth in their lyrics. The EP’s five confessional songs carry a quiet profundity as Mayland dives into themes of identity, loneliness, and, above all, the people and places that feel like home.
Lead single “Lighthouse” encapsulates this steady beacon of light that Mayland was perhaps searching for during moments of turbulence. Throughout the track, their delicate vocals are cradled in soothing acoustic guitars that ebb and flow with the ease of gentle, unfaltering ocean tides. Mayland’s stalwart “lighthouse” is the solace of a healthy relationship that flows naturally “like water through [their] veins”, which they expand upon in “From The Other Side Of The World I’d Hear You”. An achingly earnest ode to long-distance love, it’s softly rousing, tender and meandering but never disengaging as listeners are drawn in by Mayland’s endearing blend of warmth and candour.
Their vulnerability is palpable across the EP, showcasing their ability to write truthful music about personal experiences while still crafting moments of connection, relatability, and comfort. “Homeward” is a beautifully haunting homage to Mayland’s roots in rural Yorkshire, but it also offers universal musings on nature as both a “cradle” and a “crystal ball”: a source of relief for present woes and reassurance for future uncertainties.
In the title track, Mayland grapples with their simultaneous love for the natural world and hopelessness for its future amidst escalating environmental crises. “The Slow Fire Of Sleep” initially confronts us with the crushing reality that “the worst is yet to come”, building to a vast instrumental outro completely void of vocals to emphasise that nature is bigger than any of us. This could seem daunting, pessimistic even – Mayland contemplates the powerlessness of the individual in the face of such extensive ecological disaster, as their own voice is eventually overpowered. But it also feels like a call to arms for the collective, compelling us to protect our shared home and work with, not against, it. The swirling strings arrangement is big and baleful, but it’s also beautiful: our world might be on fire, but it’s still ours to save.
Ultimately, it’s not just physical places or other people that provide a sense of belonging: on “Mother Mother”, Mayland carves out a home within themselves, a space between rigid gender binaries and traditional understandings of femininity. With poignant lyrical introspection reminiscent of Adrianne Lenker, Mayland’s tone is wistful and melancholic; as they harmonise with themselves, however, a growing self-acceptance emerges from their honesty.
Honesty feels like the beating heart of The Slow Fire Of Sleep, which is brought to life by heartfelt vocals and dynamic acoustic instrumentals courtesy of both Mayland and their producers, Will Lister and Imogen Williams. Mayland’s vulnerability has undoubtedly paid off, establishing themselves as both an integral part of The Last Dinner Party and a well-rounded folk artist in their own right.