Yearning is the perfect compilation of stories of emerging identity, all wrapped up in one tale of self-love, acceptance and pride. Listening to the album as a whole feels like listening to a storybook; there are ups and downs, sometimes you feel sad, but by the end you feel whole and understood.  

 

Georgia Marley has taken her personal experiences and produced this DIY album incredibly well. Each and every song is raw, homely, warm, and incredibly honest.  

 

The first two tracks on the album I Hope This Feeling Doesn't Last and I'll Believe It introduce listeners to who Georgia really is along with her song writing style; slick guitar melodies accompanied by percussively unique and uplifting tambourine elements despite her deep lyrical elements. "Maybe god is racist to aliens / We haven't seen any because she hates them" is just one of many lyrics that open up the door into the matriarchal world that Georgia lives in.  

 

Then comes the vulnerability. "Please don't leave me as number two / Let me wrap up your heart and stick it to mine with glue" is one of the most eerily beautiful lyrics I've heard from a young singer-songwriter. It reminds me of a line from Ed Sheeran's Wake Me Up and reminisces the need for human companionship, much like in Radiators later on the album; "Radiators don’t do shit anymore / I need skin on skin to keep me warm". These two lines really sum up the album for me. 

 

The next four songs on the album are stories of a girl who just wants to love, presented to us in the form of perfectly synced guitar and vocal melodies alongside stunning Angie McMahon type harmonies. The deep string section of Aftermath brings something new to the album amidst the existing guitar melodies and adds a mature depth.  

 

About You is perhaps my favourite song on the album instrumentally. If you listen carefully, you'll hear really cool clicking noises followed by these kind of trippy, warp sounds and a range of other unique sounds that come in throughout the track. Here we see another example of great experimental producing that really paid off. Also, the build at the end is HUGE and something listeners will definitely remember from the album.  

 

The album concludes with Final Words, and the song is just that. A short and sweet way to end the album with no particular story, rather a bunch of relatable thoughts thrown into the song. Does it work? Absolutely.  

 

Overall, Yearning is a sad yet awakening album which combines the incredibly smart, thoughtful and unique lyrics of Georgia Marley with experimental instrumental sounds that are all pulled together so smoothly. Georgia's smooth vocals make the album easy to listen to over and over, and leave you with a sense of yearning. Ha! Funny that.  

 

Brilliant album from Georgia, would highly recommend listening in a warm bubble bath with a glass of wine and some scented candles any time you just need to lye back and breathe.  

 

You can see the full track listing below and remember that Yearning is available on all major streaming services as well as on Bandcamp alongside the beautifully created Zine and Cassette. 

 

Track listing:

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1. I Hope This Feeling Doesn't Last

2. I'll Believe It

3. Glue

4. Enjoy the View

5. What I've Realised

6. Lately

7. Aftermath

8. Radiators

9. About You

10. Final Words

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