Rising UK artist Iona Luke has released her new single, “Can We Still Hang Out?”
Following a performance at The Great Escape festival off the back of her last single “Existential,” “Can We Still Hang Out” sees Luke unleash something volatile and cathartic, reaching from a place of true emotional exhaustion and feeling confrontational.
It feels well-timed, considering Iona Luke is an artist who is very much experiencing a breakthrough period, to release an emotionally vulnerable song about love and self-erasure, right at the moment when her name is becoming more known, and that line between Iona Luke as a person and artist becomes more blurred.
At 23 years old, Iona Luke’s sound has a maturity about it that usually comes after a great many years doing what she does, but which for her seems to come as part and parcel of her palpable talent. “Can We Still Hang Out” features Iona Luke’s rich and impressive vocal range, which unfortunately gets a little bit lost in the track’s actual mixing.
However, the song itself is more than its production, and thankfully, it isn’t hindered by this small issue.
The instrumentation is very much like the grown-up version of a teenage pop-punk obsession – the energy is right, the angst is right, but there’s more complexity and power behind it.
Luke’s influences are clear in “Can We Still Hang Out”, drawing from sources such as PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, managing to get across genuinely deep, relatable feelings without sacrificing the hook of the track.
Hopefully, more of this is to come in her upcoming EP, which is due for release later this year.
