Freya Beer is an emerging London-born, Southern England-based singer/songwriter and guitarist whose work draws influence from Kate Bush, Cat Power, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and others while centered around poetic lyrics and a distinctive sound. Beer can trace the origins of her music career to her childhood — writing songs when she was 10. And by the time she turned 16, she was performing her songs, accompanied with her guitar.
Interestingly, while studying Music Performance in school, the London-born, Southern England-based singer/songwriter self-released her debut single “Bike Boy” last year to a positive reception from BBC Introducing and a number of music blogs. Beer then quickly released “Six Months,” which led to a BBC Introducing Solent Live Lounge Session, a featuring on Tom Robinson’s BBC Radio 6 and BBC Wales.
Building upon the rapidly growing buzz surrounding her, Freya went into the studio earlier this year to record her latest single “Dear Sweet Rosie,” which features I Am Kloot’s Andy Hargreaves on drums. Lyrically, the song draws from Allen Ginsberg’s “An Asphodel” and Anna Sewell’s “Black Beauty” and while centered around a grunge rock song structure — alternating quiet verses and loud verses — the song features fuzzy power chords, John Bonham-like drumming, an enormous hook and Beer’s sultry vocals. Sonically, the song may remind some listeners of Liz Phair, PJ Harvey and others with a self-assuredness and larger-than-life feel that belies Beer’s relative youth.
Directed and filmed by Paul Johnson, the recently released video for “Dear Sweet Rosie” features a pensive Beer on an English beach on a very English day — but the situations throughout are a fever dream seemingly inspired by Romantic poetry.
