Words by Millie Cairns
Following her recent release party, Leeds has been firmly under LULA‘s spell since the release of her debut ‘Radcliffe’. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Leonard Cohen and The Postal Service, the songwriter’s debut single arrives steeped in nostalgia and intimate storytelling, offering a deeply personal introduction to an artist whose sound already feels remarkably assured.
Opening with a gentle hum of violin strings and white noise, the track immediately establishes a sense of comfort and closeness. It feels as though we are sitting alongside LULA during the creation of ‘Radcliffe’, an intimacy that reflects her own approach to songwriting. “Most of my music is recorded straight onto tape using a 4-track, and most of my songs are stories,” she explains. That DIY ethos runs through every second of the track. An accordion gradually emerges before a soft drum machine enters, creating a warm, analogue atmosphere reminiscent of early Clairo releases. The production feels lived-in and organic, embracing imperfections rather than buffing them away.
At the centre of the song is LULA’s gentle, velvet-like voice. Soft and dreamy, yet rich with emotion, she delivers each lyric with a sincerity that makes even the smallest moments feel significant. Her songwriting is strikingly confessional, documenting heartbreak, regret and self-reflection with an honesty that never feels forced. Lines such as “Then I left him just to find out I had nobody else” land with soft gut punches, while “I lost my best friend when I threw punches but couldn’t take a hit” captures the complicated reality of fractured relationships in a single sentence.
Throughout the track, she takes listeners through snapshots of her life: childhood innocence, broken friendships, failed relationships and the lingering desire to retreat from a world that often feels difficult to navigate. The result is less a linear narrative and more a collection of memories stitched together through emotion. Her assertion that “most of my songs are stories” becomes increasingly apparent as the track unfolds.
The song’s most affecting moments come through its reflections on growing up and learning to live with parts of yourself you cannot easily change. “You were such an angry child I’ve always been told / I find that story less amusing every passing year I grow,” she sings, before later admitting, “My boyfriend tells me that I need help and that’s no real way to live.” These moments are deeply personal, yet they resonate because of their universality. LULA is not simply recounting memories but examining how they continue to shape her present.
There is an innate warmth to LULA’s music that makes these confessions feel inviting rather than overwhelming. The song carries the fuzzy glow of a photograph left too long in the sun, nostalgic without becoming sentimental. Despite this being a debut release, her artistic identity already feels fully formed. That confidence may stem from the song’s lengthy journey to release. “It’s one of those songs I’ve recorded a dozen different versions of and never really felt ready to put out, but it’s really important to me,” she explains. “It’s the first song I wrote where I was like, maybe I could do this properly – and I’m a bit of a perfectionist to a fault so I decided to bite the bullet and just record.”
Although this marks LULA’s first official release on streaming platforms, the songwriter has already spent years quietly honing her craft through a collection of demos, covers and home recordings shared on YouTube. Those recordings reveal the foundations of the sound heard on her debut single: intimate storytelling, warm lo-fi production and an instinct for finding beauty in life’s quieter moments. Rather than arriving as a fully formed introduction, the single feels like the culmination of years of experimentation and refinement, making her assured artistic voice all the more impressive for a debut release.
It is perhaps fitting that LULA credits much of her inspiration to the Leeds DIY scene that has helped shape her as an artist. “I’m mostly inspired by other artists involved in the Leeds DIY scene – there’s so many super cool people and projects happening at the minute,” she says. That sense of community can be felt throughout the track, which balances personal storytelling with a wider feeling of belonging.
If this debut single is any indication of what is to come from her forthcoming EP ‘Music and Love Horses’, due later this year, LULA is already establishing herself as one of Leeds’ most compelling emerging voices. Through analogue textures, heartfelt storytelling and an unwavering commitment to honesty, she has crafted a debut that feels both deeply personal and universally recognisable.
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