Tales abound through folklore and mythology of the equally deadly and healing powers of the Foxglove flower, some claiming the appearance of the plant in the wild is a sign that fairies are close, others believing throwing the leaves about infants cradles will protect them from getting bewitched, the destruction of the flora considered universally unlucky.
The science-based view of the Foxglove flower is just as remarkable as, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it is cultivated for it’s attractive flower spikes, contains poisonous cardiac glycosides which are toxic to the heart if ingested, but is also the source of the heart-stimulating drug ‘digitalis’.
South Wales alt-pop singer/songwriter Foxxglove chose her moniker well then, as her debut EP ‘The Chaos’ is full to overflowing with mysticality, magic and atmospherics, equal parts harmonically pretty, emotionally medicinal as well as being sentimentally cutting, using EDM beats and her impassioned vocals to write a collection of feeling-packed personal and ubiquitous stories, helped along by guitarist Jed Robertson, fellow songwriter Violet Skies and Cardiff artist and impresario Minas.
First track ‘City’ is a fitting start, the solo performer’s debut single release in 2020 elegiacally documenting the formative self-discovery of the singer’s move from the Valleys to Cardiff, encased in mesmeric rhythms and heavy bass.
‘Dear You’ is a pleading, confessional note from the musician to herself, declaring “my lungs fill up with the smoke of my thoughts / when I feel like I’m doing well I get knocked down / always end up like this, I’m sick of it”, Minas’s production injecting soaring, uplifting dance beats into the proceedings. The second Minas co-creation follows with the largely minimalist piano based ‘Bad Timing’, broken up halfway through with more explosive electronics.
The record’s collaboration with Violet Skies, ‘Family Ties’, sees the pair plumb Julien Baker level depths of emotion accompanied by trip-hop stylings. ‘High On Hope’ propels the EP into pure reassuring ecstatic abandon before ‘The Chaos’ slams back down to a halting end with leaden drums and guitars creating an almost ear-busting metal-rock finale, where up until now we’ve had mostly austere and animated beats and keys, as the singer triumphantly, sagely pays off: “sometimes you have to learn to hold your own hand / and the cards you get dealt are out of your control / I guess you find calm in the chaos after all”. Overall, a record like the performer’s ‘digitalis pupurea’ namesake, containing extremely powerful, potent properties to both wound and regenerate.
‘The Chaos’ EP was released on 8th December 2023 and is available on all of the streaming platforms. We’ve put the video for ‘Bad Timing’ down below for you to watch before you run off to whichever platform you prefer to hear the whole thing:
Edge of Arcady 