Quicksand Heart

Solo debut for UK singer-songwriter, Jenny Hollingworth, who’s also half of the art pop band, Let’s Eat Grandma. While it is Hollingworth’s solo LP, her L.E.G. bandmate, Rosa Walton, contributes on three of the ten tracks. The overall vibe leans toward 80s-inspired New Wave, updated for 2026. The melodies are strong with lots of catchy hooks, particularly in the front half of the set. The arrangements range from bright sophistipop to power pop anthems, with a hint of noisy dissonance. RIYL: Let’s Eat Grandma, Bethany Cosentino (former Best Coast frontwoman), CHVRCHES or 80s pop.
— Francis

Recommended: 2, 1, 3, 9, 6, 4. FCC on Track 11.

1. (4:18) Good Intentions — Cinematic and orchestrated. Guitars and synths carry this power pop tune, with Hollingworth’s vocals soaring above. Let’s Eat Grandma bandmate Walton adds to the stirring harmonies. ****
2. (3:42) Quicksand Heart (Clean Edit) — Shimmering and rapturous. Synth-driven tune. Verses build to driving choruses with guitars layered in. Lyrics deliver on the “quicksand heart” analogy. ****
3. (3:43) Every Ounce Of Me — Lead single. Catchy pop with a soundtrack quality and lyrics like one would hear at the apex of a romantic movie. ****
4. (4:23) These Streets I Know — New Wave ballad with swelling synths and emotive lead vocals. About getting away from London’s hectic pace and pressure to the countryside surrounding her family home in Norwich. **
5. (3:00) Pacemaker — Formulaic pop standard that blends in with the rest of the album’s tunes. Nice, harmonized lead vocals.
6. (4:47) Dolphins — Wistful, playful and childlike. Repetitive keys in a liquid soundscape, like swimming in the ocean. High-pitched synths in the distance suggest dolphins communicating with one another. ***
7. (3:19) Groundskeeping — Warm, acoustic ballad. Piano and synth-led, with plaintive lead vocals.
8. (3:22) Push — Another sophistipop track with a persistent beat that gets a little lost in the set.
9. (4:18) Do You Still Believe In Me? — Syncopated beat. Throaty guitars and glittering synths. Hollingworth’s crystalline vocals carry the New Wave power pop tune. Noisy trail-out. ***
10. (4:49) Appetite — Powerful, uplifting closer. Guitar-driven with a solid drum track carrying the cross between an anthem and a ballad. Another track with Walton lending her voice to the harmonies.
11. (3:41) Quicksand Heart (Explicit) — FCCs: fucked-up (three times) — Unedited version of track 2.