Meadowlark is the brainchild of Bristol duo Kate McGill and Dan Broadley, and the latest act to enter the ever-more crowded field of ambient electropop. Ambitions are high with their debut album, Postcards, and the use of Spike Stent (Haim, CHVRCHES) indicates the kind of market they are aiming for. The duo have impressive pedigrees – McGill has racked up millions of YouTube plays as a solo artist known primarily for covers, while Broadley has worked with several top rock bands as a promo director – and together they have created a highly polished first album.

Kicking off proceedings with the whirl of a tape deck, Postcards has an exceptionally high-quality production and the opener, ‘Headlights’, sets the standard with its catchy chorus and lyrics that seem to speak with regret at a misstep during the early days of a relationship. That mood drips through the album and the overall mood effortlessly sums up those emotions and fears that we all feel during the whirlwind of the beginnings and endings of love. McGill’s vocals are faultless, portraying that excitement and anticipation throughout the first half of the album. The age-old symbolism of love being like a drug is also a common theme and, while the lyrics of ‘Pink Heart’ are just a little too on-the-nose with references to walking white lines and a heroine not saving lives, they are more successful on the likes of ‘One’, which is simply a great pop song that you could imagine someone like Ellie Goulding snapping up if it was presented to her. Like all the best pop songs, those hooks dig into your subconscious and you will find yourself singing a random chorus hours later – though ‘Fly’ is potentially a little too reminiscent of Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’. It isn’t all about the vocals though, and repeated listenings are rewarded as you begin to notice the little details and subtleties within the exceptional production from Broadley and producer JJ Mitchell.

If there is one criticism, it takes a little too long before a change of pace or style is introduced. When it does come, in the form of the stripped-back piano ballad ‘That’s Life’, it is a welcome change from the rest of the album and heralds the start of a set of songs that are more downbeat and mellow, almost as if on a comedown from the earlier highs. Finally, the title track comes in and seals the deal with a beautiful sentiment that sums up all that has come before. As McGill sings “I just want you to know, it’s nice being loved” with a tinge of regret, we come back to the regrets at words that could have been said to an ex-lover but never were.

Postcards is a great album, which deserves to gain an audience. Whether it breaks through the competition remains to be seen, as there are a lot of other great bands and singers sharing the same genre. However, if Meadowlark continue to capture the raw emotion of love along with all the heartaches and worries that come with it, then they stand an excellent chance of doing so.

Jamie MacMillan