Essex isn’t really renowned for producing that many great bands or artists, with its most famous sons probably being Blur. Of late, The Horrors, These New Puritans and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly have all crept out of the county’s woodwork, and maybe one day, in the near future, Anthony Love’s name will be mentioned in the same breath as those. The obvious comparison here is clearly with Sam “Get Cape” Duckworth, what with the two both being singer/songwriters from Essex and all, but where Duckworth writes mainly about politics and world issues, Love sings more about “broken hearts and broken glass” – romantic affairs of the heart that you’d expect a 18 year old to write about.
‘Action/Passion’ is Love’s second self-released EP, containing 5 sublime acoustic efforts. ‘Daily News’ is a strong start to any record, bursting with a youthful desire to be different to the elders surrounding us. ‘This Town’ is full of longing and is guaranteed to make you think of lovers loved and lost, with tender lyrics like “You the know the thing about honesty/It’s a policy I’m not following/If I tell you how I feel/It’s only ever going to end this thing” surely resonating and striking a chord with many teenagers the world over. ‘Maxim’ is a gentle 3 minutes something of beautiful melancholy whilst ‘LAYA’ is a more upbeat, although still very sincere, affair. Closing track ‘Heartbeats’ shows a poetic depth to Love as a songwriter, something which only grow stronger over time.
‘Action/Passion’ is an insightful collection of songs that with proper, professional production could be transformed into sweeping sonnets that will surely bring Anthony Love the attention he so deserves.
Standout track: This Town
Rhian Daly
