Image bu Michelle Grace Hunder //

One week of Burnt Tapes has taught us some things about Eves Karydas.

Having largely been known for her string of pop hits such as ‘Further Than The Planes Fly’ and ‘Complicated’, there has always been a certain expectation around Eves Karydas; her career would see her work with bigger and more famous songwriters on her path to become an alt-pop superstar. Now, after some sort of awakening, it seems that she’s flipped the script and is subverting expectations, with last week’s Burnt Tapes clear evidence of that.

Now proudly self-managed and independently releasing her music, gaining greater control over her career and creative output, she’s been able to create without additional, unwanted input. “This album is a testament to how I see the world, how I hear the world, and what I love,” she says. “It took cutting off the outside world and all outside opinions to find my spark again – and I couldn’t be happier with the way the album turned out.”

Pushing beyond her earlier bubblegum RnB stylings, Burnt Tapes revelas an artist on a journey of discovery. Her pop sensibilities haven’t wavered, but throughout the record we hear a Lana Del Ray-style embrace of the nostalgic grandiose, raw folkiness, and maybe even some Portishead-esque dashes of trip hop.

Dedicated to capturing a sense of “realness”, her vocals flow over live instrumentation, recorded over five intensive weeks, with an array of analogue gear. This meticulous process marks just one of the many aspects of her music and creative direction that Karydas has fiercely reclaimed.

Sink your teeth into Burnt Tapes above and head here to buy/stream it now.