Single Review: Hels Pattison ‘Love Is a Fire’

Looks like we’re in for a sad and introspective autumn.

Hels Pattison’s latest release, “Love Is a Fire”, is a song filled with oxymorons and contradictions, an alt-folk ballad written about the demon that is self-sabotage – looking for issues that aren’t even there because you can’t accept the happiness that is right there in front of you.

I am undoubtedly a fan of Hels’ music, I have been for years. So I took the liberty of going back and listening to my personal favourite of hers whilst writing this – the song “Just What I Do”, which made up the title of her debut EP, released last year. I can’t help but draw some similarities between the two.

Getting back to this song though, I really want to highlight a few key points that make this song so unique. First of all, Hels’ vocals are great on every song she does but on this one in particular, she hits another level somehow. Then there’s the lyricism.

“I’m all out of apologies, I’ve nothing to say, but I have a bad habit of running away.”

I love everything about this lyric, from the way it was written to the way it was delivered by Hels on the track. Then of course, there’s the exceptional guitar work, the use of brushes on the drums complementing the bass so well and, of course, some beautiful work on the fiddle that really ties it all together.

“Love Is a Fire” is out now.

Review by Sam Heppenstall