Port Isla’s debut single opens with a decisively KT Tunstall-esque use of “ooo ooo”s and a loop pedal. Once you’ve got passed this though, you’ll learn that ‘Sinking Ship’ is bloody catchy in it’s own right. It’s a poetic ballad about why it’s better to be on the front line than go through the whole going down with your ship rigmarole (“Well I’d rather be a gunman than a captain on a sinking ship”). Basically it’s the folk antithesis of Dido’s ‘White Flag’; “I will go down with this ship, and I won’t put my hands up and surrender.”
Considering the core message, the whole thing is pretty upbeat. We suppose the captain/ship scenario is all fairly outdated now anyway.
The Norwich boys are currently unsigned, but it doesn’t really seem to be stopping them. With a couple of music degrees between them this track is polished and, despite the heavy ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ themed intro, it doesn’t launch into a massive KT tribute. Which is nice.
All in all it’s catchy, well executed, and a bit different. Port Isla are offering the single gratis on Soundcloud, so you can clap along to your folk rock heart’s content. Lovely.
Discover Port Isla: Official // Facebook // Soundcloud // Twitter
Maddie Russell
Dance Yrself Clean
