SINGLE REVIEW: 'Acheron' | Brodie Milner

Yorkshire lad Brodie Milner has taken his time finding his feet - after travelling between and exploring the music scenes of Bridlington, York and Hull, he found his way to Leeds and takes great pride in where he's from. He "wears his songs like an ill-fitted suit," bringing together creative lyrics and intricate, lo-fi jazz melodies to create tracks that aren't quite sad but not particularly happy either, yanno? On 3rd January Brodie released his debut singe, Acheron, starting his new year off the right way. New decade means new horizons, right? Love that for him.

In Greek mythology the Acheron is the river of woe; one of the five, and most important, rivers of the Greek underworld. It's perceived to be a barrier between the underworld and the mortal world, as mortals couldn't cross it to die, nor could the dead cross it to escape: it's a place for dead souls.

This is all highly relevant as Brodie has taken your stereotypical love song, completely ripped it apart and made it his own, as he tells a story of being "sailed down the Acheron." Greek mythology means a lot, it's something that has always fascinated him, and the ideas for this track slotted perfectly into place as Brodie has stated "I thought the imagery was stunning - being pushed down the river into the underworld by the person you were once intimate with."

Despite being a mellow, slow track, it's quite erratic in its narration - the protagonist of the track is dramatic, using metaphors of life and death to portray the love lost in a relationship. He's angry one minute, then of "stoic mind" the next - his words are untrustworthy but powerful at the same time. His words are questionable, but the ambiguity helps make the track so intricate, so well thought out. I say all the time that an artist's debut is impressive, but the inspiration and thought that has gone into Acheron is immense. Brodie, I love your words and I can't wait for more.