Fellow lovers of all things indie and alt-pop, I invite you to allocate the next spot in your playlist to a wonderful track that I have recently discovered. Of course – as if you had any doubt – the track I’m talking about is the delightfully playful ‘Sweet, Hot & Heavy,’ the most recent release from London-based singer-songwriter Delilah Isabella.
A gift to all of the – as Delilah puts it – sapphic goddesses out there, ‘Sweet, Hot & Heavy’ reflects the vivacity and excitement of London’s queer nightlife culture. As much as this track was born of fun, it’s also just as deeply rooted in friendship. Working alongside familiar, multi-talented faces, including long-time pal and producer Greg Hummell, Delilah Isabella was able to create a song steeped in both frolic and freedom. Let’s not wait any longer to really get into this refreshingly vibrant single – after you!
Sweet, Hot & Heavy
The track opens with Delilah’s doll-like, high-pitched vocals, which are beautifully embellished with a crisp vibrato that I found really astonishing. There’s something about her lilted, velvety timbre during the song’s intro that—honestly—transported me to the 40s. Delilah’s delivery of her lyrics has this warm, airy glamour to it that, in my opinion, could comfortably stand alongside the smooth vocals of The Andrews Sisters and Ella Fitzgerald.
But where many of the female powerhouses – certainly The Andrew Sisters – of the 1940s were rather upbeat and cheerful, Delilah’s initial delivery has a modern, haunting dreaminess to it that you can’t entirely categorise. And amazingly, it’s this leisurely romantic vocal performance that leads us to punchy, animated drumbeats and the rock-fuelled grumbles of the electric guitar.
From this point on, the track’s tempo bounces with a newfound pep, guided by the vivacious instrumental harmonies and Delilah’s harlequin vocal style. I love that the liveliness of the track kicks in as Delilah delivers lyrics like ‘I like the femme girls / With their hair to their waist / I like butch beauties / With a voice of a bass’ and ‘I like the girls / Who have their heart in the kink / The ones to have shots / With and bond over a drink.’
I love it, in particular, because you can really hear the admiration that Delilah Isabella has for all types of women; it’s delightfully empowering. Plus, the incandescence that permeates across her voice and the instrumentation really does a marvellous job of conveying how welcoming and exhilarating London’s queer scene is.
After that first bubbly, high-spirited chorus, you’ll get another snip of that 40s allure with a burst of retro-radio tonal qualities. Grainy and warm, this part of the track is just so much fun, especially with the addition of a cheery spoken interlude, complete with sunny laughter. At the same time, this part of the track makes you feel like you’re a teenager experiencing the thrilling rush of love for the first time again. You know that feeling when you’re just dying to call someone to talk about that special someone? The texture of this track is interlaced with these electrifying butterflies.
As the song continues, you’ll feel like dancing all around your bedroom as the electric guitar soars over the instrumental break, fizzling up into the air like a rainbow-esque firework. Passing over the burst-brink energy back to Delilah, her sprightly vocals skip toward the track’s close. Perfectly appropriate, the single ends with a sugar-sweet exclamation and a sudden stop that leaves you wanting to repeat what you’ve just heard over and over again!
This track doesn’t tell you never to be ashamed of who you really are; it shows you instead. There is audible beauty and freedom in every note of this song, and it serves as the perfect motivation for anyone who needs the courage to be true to themselves. Ultimately, for me, the sound of this song is saying, ‘Look at how beautiful you can be when you’re brave enough to live your life your way.’
Source: https://www.instagram.com/delilahindreamland
ALT: Alt-pop/indie singer, Delilah Isabella, poses while sitting on a grey sofa.
Delilah Isabella
Delilah Isabella is a truly uplifting artist—it’s as simple as that. As a musician, she is undoubtedly inspiring, having shared her distinctive talents with the world for over seven years and, in that time, dropping a brooklet of versatile gems, including her 2018 EP, ‘Horizon.’ But as an innovative storyteller, I’d argue that she is even more inspiriting.
Delilah’s music is unapologetically candid and authentic, deriving its shape from her personal experiences and challenges, which – in part – is why her songs are so addictive. Metaphorically speaking, those who feel out of place or different always have front-row seats in her audience, her music is a home of universality in which we all are welcome.
The other reason why her style is so compelling is that it’s so – in my opinion – inimitable. It’s no secret that Delilah draws influence from a wide array of artists, including Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, and Cat Burns, and yet her style is so wonderfully her own.
Raw expression revived, Delilah Isabella is now reworking her debut album ‘Restless Dreamland’ with plans to re-release it in the future. I have no doubt that this re-release, true to Delilah’s evocative sound, will celebrate empowerment and unity in a way that we don’t often get to experience. In the meantime, however, I have no problem whatsoever listening to repeats of ‘Sweet, Hot & Heavy,’ which is available across all major streaming platforms!
Till next time!
