I’m not sure that “wintry pop” is an actual genre, but Kleo certainly makes a case for it. On her debut EP, I Love This Movie, she gifts us four lushly orchestrated songs just in time for the short, cold months of the year. The production is in line with what Jack Antonoff aims for over and over (and over and over…) again, but Kleo proves you don’t need big budgets and big names to succeed at such a feat. Emotion is king… err, queen… here, as it should be – standout ‘Miss You’ is rife with feeling, while the ’80s-tinged closer, ‘Beautiful Life’ takes listeners to the stratosphere with its infectious melodies.
Recently, Kleo took us through her debut EP track by track, answering our foolproof questionnaire:
About the song
Favourite Lyric
Micro-Review (5 Words or Less)
If this song was a movie, what movie would it be and why?
Read on below, and listen along – ’tis the season for Kleo, you heard it hear first.
LUCID
About the song: A hopeful tune for the eternal stargazer.
Favourite Lyric: ‘Fear what I dread hiding under my bed in my room / But then you throw me a life line to save me on beams from the moon…’
Micro-Review: Existential thoughts and imaginatiooooooon! <3
If this song was a movie, what movie would it be and why? ‘Howls Moving Castle’ because of the in-and-out of past and present scenes, the hopefulness and the message of letting others into your life and being open about your story.
MISS YOU
About the song: Transforming darkness into light by embracing your sadness within as if it was a precious little flower.
Favourite Lyric: ‘My heart is young and broken / You’re right there where it’s open / The cracks let the light through / With the movie scenes about you‘
Micro-Review: Blissful sadness-road trip
If this song was a movie, what movie would it be and why? Maybe La Vie d’Adele – melancholy and time’s healing power.
BROKEN HALLELUJAH
About the song: A hymn to all broken hearts
Favourite Lyric: ‘Dry my eyes as I cry when you go / Hear my Broken Hallelujah / Angel cries are disguised in goodbyes as you go…’
Micro-Review: Bittersweet romance
If this song was a movie, what movie would it be and why? Romeo + Juliet, an epic love story told through a visual 90’s-kaleidoscope of breathtaking moments.
BEAUTIFUL LIFE
About the song: Those precious moments when you wake up one morning and take the whole world in, you realize happiness is the backdrop of life itself.
Favourite Lyric: ‘All your favourite records are playing aloud / all the fireworks spelling your name in the clouds / It’s a perfect beautiful day / It’s here and now and now and now…’
Micro-Review: Love is always present
If this song was a movie, what movie would it be and why? It could be the end track to Wall-E, a celebration song.