Evie Balfe and her Baroque dance number Toxicity denounces anti-LGBT discrimination and demands the celebration of all forms of love.
Evie Balfe – Toxicity
Fighting society’s impositions is a tough burden borne by those of us who happen to be different. Doing so side by side with your loved one may make it easier, though not necessarily less painful. Telling her own tale of unblessed love, London-based singer-songwriter Evie Balfe has just released her new single Toxicity.
The song uses every bit of its minimalistic instrumentation to convey the gravitas of the situation. Simple piano chords introduce it and are then joined by subtle church organ-like strings, while a faint pop beat almost fades into the background with the help of the echo effect. Evie’s vocals are perfect to a fault and, as she describes “the touch of her lips, a forbidden sin”, her heavy, ache-laden delivery expresses a mixture of sensual pleasure, doubt and moral guilt that is bound to sound discomfortingly familiar to anyone who has been through the process of coming to terms with their own forbidden desires. She does muster enough strength to carry the rebellious chorus, though. “Every day we are fighting, not abiding”, she sings, hurt but still defiant. Being bisexual herself, Evie says she wrote the song during her self-discovery process.
The subject matter may be serious, but the message here is one of hope and the soundscape does reflect that as it becomes slightly more upbeat towards the end. A disco beat pops up in the last quarter, stirring some optimism and ultimately helps to make the final product a little gayer, in more than one way.
Born in Lincolnshire, Evie Balfe is a rising star in the indie pop scene. Her latest release According To Maybe received rave reviews by All Indie. Additionally, she has been receiving constant support from BBC Introducing Lincolnshire. Her debut album is due later this year.
“The song’s semi-Gothic atmosphere conveys the suffering of being judged by others and by oneself. But Evie chooses to close the song on a high note, with hopeful lyrics delivered to a disco beat”
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