Indy Stanton “The Candle Room”
Adelaide’s Indy Stanton first made a name for herself singing covers via YouTube when she was a mere 15 years of age. Now, at 22, she is preparing to release her debut album The Candle Room on 15 February 2019.
The Candle Room introduces listeners to Stanton with Place to Hide, a song that serves as a solid representation of what is to come musically and lyrically. It highlights Stanton’s stunning voice and leaves you eager to hear what else she can offer.
Victim, like Place to Hide, is a slow, emotive song. With lyrics like “you say you never loved me, and I say I never loved myself” it channels a dark and brooding, angsty attitude towards love and relationships which is replicated a multitude of times and lingers for the remainder of the album. Leave It At That is very much a carbon copy of its predecessor and highly illustrative of Staunton’s sound, a sound influenced by some of today’s popular female musicians including Billie Eilish, Lorde and Amy Shark.
Like Alice, the fourth song on the album is a more upbeat. It is a dancey take on recurrent themes while the first few seconds of Trust are reminiscent of Andy Bull’s 80’s synth sound that was laced through his 2014 LP Sea of Approval. Right Now serves as a great summary of The Candle Room insofar as the album is characteristic of a specific time, place and mentality in Stanton’s life…right now.
Pity, followed by the Lorde inspired Small Talk are the highlight of the album. They evoke a more mature sound and pack a punch despite their shortness. Go Home and It’s Okay to Say Goodbye bring home Stanton’s debut in a slightly clichéd manner, but nevertheless a suitable one.
There is a simplicity to The Candle Room with its distinct themes of love, relationships and self-discovery that makes it endearing. This simplicity shouldn’t be mistaken as its downfall, because it is, in fact, quite the opposite. Stanton’s matter of fact lyrics are straight to the point and surmise her life at the present in short bursts of emotion. All the songs clock in at under four minutes, some under three, subsequently supporting the album’s overall uncomplicatedness. Despite this uncomplicatedness, The Candle Room sounds like a complete album with considered choices regarding song placement. The overall sound is very now with any track able to easily slip into a popular radio station’s playlist and not sound out of place. It would no doubt tick a lot of boxes for many people especially younger females who I envisage being enamoured with Stanton.
The Candle Room is a solid debut for Indy Stanton. Expect to hear more from this Adelaidian as time goes on.
Album Review by Anita Kertes