If you’re a fan of spare, acoustic songwriting, you know it’s a slippery slope between moving introspection and esoteric navel-gazing. But newcomer Billie Marten perfectly strikes a balance between melancholy and melody with her unique brand of songwriting, which is even more impressive given that the U.K. artist just turned 17.
Today, Billboard is exclusively premiering “La Lune,” a mesmerizing piece of soothing acoustic balladry. Somehow with this song and its A-side “Milk and Honey,” Marten keeps it simple but manages to convey a depth of emotion with her soft, but impactful, vocal delivery.
The “La Lune” video consists of old home movies Marten herself compiled. “I found these old VHS’s at home and I remembered there was a load of footage of our family wandering around Whitby beaches and BnBs,” Marten says. “The song’s all washy and dreamy and it instantly made me think of that. We borrowed some friends’ film camera for a few months but also managed to capture a lot of sentimental moments too. I love watching it.”
Watch the “La Lune” video below. You can pick up the 7” vinyl and see her tour dates on her site.