Campbell Sibthorpe’s “Ytown” Is A Nostalgia Trip Worth Taking

“Write what you know” the old maxim goes, which is exactly what Campbell Sibthorpe has done on his EP ‘Ytown'. As Robert Christgau said about country singer Iris DeMent: “she knows that who she is begins with where she comes from”. And so does Campbell, who explores through his music how growing up in his village has shaped who he is. His EP is full of childhood memories, from carving names onto a tree with his father to falling into the arms of his mother, from the rain falling down early on in summer to a tree’s blossom rippling in the rural sunlight. These images naturally touched me and reminded me of my own childhood.

Campbell’s music is hazy and dreamy, full of production techniques that have a subtly distancing effect, like the reverb-drenched piano of my favourite moment, the instrumental “Strawberry Line, Pt. 1”, the chords of which are simply gorgeous. There’s also echoed singing, which sometimes sounds like it was sung alone in an abbey, or a crypt. Actually it was produced in his bedroom – but the impression is what counts.

The atmosphere is clearly also influenced by the psychedelic sheen of Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens, and The Shins. Yet his vocals come over more varied and forceful than Fleet Foxes’, for instance, projecting the melody clearly on “Father Carpenter” and playing around with English folk-styled melisma patterns across many of the songs but particularly on “Dandelion”. I even had to double take and check I wasn’t listening to Thom Yorke when I first heard the intro to “Pastel Porcelain”; the sombre and poignant cellos that enrich the track later on are a further reminder of Yorke’s famous band.

The soft patterns of Campbell’s acoustic guitar, strummed and gently picked throughout, forms the sonic constant that underpins all of the various changes in sound. So 'Ytown' has a distinct sound and vision, but it’s not completely wild or disorientating, anchored by this classic folk touch. This is a suitable match for the lyrical vision, which is less expansive than inward-looking. “Who am I?” Campbell ponders on “Good Lord”, before later admitting “I don’t know”. “I want to breathe” he sings repeatedly on “Dandelion”, making us worry about why he might be suffocating. “I did it to myself… I hid in my own doubt” he reveals on the last track.

'Ytown' offers a way out for Campbell, through his music – even if he must inevitably return to what he calls the “wicked town”. If your ears are attuned to melancholic folk, Campbell’s music will certainly have strong appeal. And even if they’re not, the beauty will often reach you anyway.

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