Sometimes an album just grabs you from the very first note! Sometimes an album can take you on a magical journey from start to finish – these two things are exactly what happened upon listening to The Things We Didn’t Say by Demi Marriner (out Friday 21st July 2023)

Having the song Sins to kick start the album was a genius move! Exceptional musicianship right from the start, this song, lyrically and sonically is a bit of a masterpiece. If you love that traditional country sound then this song should be right up your street. Dark, cinematic, outlaw country, Sins is a song you could imagine from an early Miranda Lambert record. The intro and outro are instrumental heaven, you can feel every note!

Demi has herself expressed that Fleetwood Mac inspired the track Distorted Desires which is easy to see. A great catchy song, Distorted Desires has a timeless sound and the chorus is wonderfully memorable.

Little Boy is a sweet sounding mid tempo tune! There’s a bit of a 90’s rock edge to it! The chorus builds up in a great way vocally which showcases the strengths in Demi’s tone!

Stay is a beautifully painful heartbreaker of a song. This song has a real ‘live music’ way about it. Demi’s voice is a melody in itself and the way she sings it feels fresh and raw and in a storytelling way.

Another Fleetwood Mac/early Little Big Town styled song comes from Last Summer. The guitar riff in this song is edgy and brings a whole ‘toe tappin’ beat to it. Demi sings with a bit of anger and more rough around the edges in the chorus which draws you to the song!

One Way Conversation is one of the best tracks on the album. Written with Tom West, the song is somewhat reminiscent to Aimee Mann. Slightly haunting and sleepy and also vocally brilliant, this track is top tier!

The Golden Kind has a more folk-rock sound to it! Nice guitar rhythms and drum beats, it’s a really easy to listen to song.

Mother delves back into a stronger Country melody. Undoubtedly this will be very relatable to many. The lyrics are emotive and powerful!

Don’t You Worry screams traditional country music with elements of Bluegrass. The honky Tonk stylings, to the steels and characteristics in Demi’s vocals make the song wonderfully addictive. Very old-time, Demi has honoured that style of music brilliantly. Grand Ole Opry, Demi’s comin’ for ya!

Slowing things down for Cold Coffee, Demi brings guitar driven blues and even more steel to this somber country beauty!

Closing with The Light, you feel like the album’s journey has ended in the best way possible. It holds all those closer vibes. A more drifty and farewell melody, The Light is hypnotic and mesmerising!

A perfect blend of traditional country and Americana, Demi Marriner has pulled out all the stops with this album and you can tell the hard work that has been put into it. This album isn’t a quickly thrown together project but something that has clearly taken a lot of time. There is so much attention to detail not just from the songs themselves being written well but also from the well crafted and exceptional use of instruments. Anyone who knows me knows a good use of musical instruments gets me every time. It’s noted that Demi has smartly teamed up with some really talented musicians, producers and more.

Even the tracklisting is well thought through. As mentioned above, Sins was a great move to start the album off and the whole album flows so swiftly and smoothly making each track unskippable. The Light is as if the song was created for the very purpose to end the story we have been following so closely!

Mature, strong and timeless – The Things We Didn’t Say is an ‘Old Soul’ Americana/Country album that needs to be heard from start to finish. Incredibly rich, soulful melodies – raw, melodic vocals – lyrics to captivate you – Demi has delivered an exceptional piece of art that sits up there as one of the best albums we have heard in 2023.

I really hope that this album gets the attention that it deserves. Demi is destined for great things especially if she continues to produce music like she has with this record. I would really like to see Demi supporting some names on tour such as Beth Nielsen Chapman, Far From Saints, Michele Stodart, and basically any Americana act that is touring. These audiences need to know Demi!

Winning a spot at Black Deer Festival this year, we would love to see her get an invite next year.

There is so much great music coming from the UK lately. Demi, Motel Sundown, Morganway, Elles Bailey, we are just loving our homegrown acts so so much!