Nell Mescal – Homesick Review

Up-and-coming artists usually have a track they can depend on time and time again. Finding that as soon as possible is a route for showcasing the individuality and quality of an independent artist. Homesick from Nell Mescal is not just a brilliant entry point into the style that the Irish singer provides but taps into the root of relatable quality that upbeat independent music is striding through. Homesick is exactly what it says on the tin and setting a scene is the key to projecting a new, creative flair. Mescal does just that with a keen and optimistic track that details a worry or plight almost everyone can get hooked to.

Missing the charms of the place of real memory, of real rooted beginnings coarse through Homesick with absolute and well-defined lyrics. Mescal’s lyrical strength comes from lobbying against those rich kids and the uncomfortable outfits. Describing well and broadly what the trouble is making it feel that much better when the chorus kicks in and a solution is presented. Homesick notes the ideal projections of a big move, the longing that comes from a hopeful return home and the divide between the past and present. Mescal works it through a three-minute single that exudes as much quality as it does contemporary relevance for its target listeners, all of whom may be feeling just the same.

Homesick, then, connects that rare quality of an artist speaking to its listener, not about something for them. Straight to them. Mescal has cemented a dialogue, rather than a statement. It earnestly involves those listening in, those that can relate because they feel the same or those that can sympathise because the lyrical structure is so easy to understand yet very well-layered and of moving detail. Linking all that together is a drum-heavy piece, the beats and brilliance it provides linking up nicely with that feeling of not bothering to make friends because it doesn’t feel like home. For those hanging around the northeast of England over the past year, it may remind somewhat of Sam Fender’s Getting Started. These tracks are fundamentally different but they both consider that colloquial root that no matter how much an artist tries, they will never shake off.

Embrace it, then. Mescal does just that and offers up Homesick, a dependable and joyous track filled with snappy lyrics and articulations that serve an emotive purpose. Mescal’s track hits just at the right time, that gap between moving out and worrying about not just what to do at home but also how to feel about the claustrophobia of staying there. Any avenue that follows is one filled with fear but Mescal guides the way with a truly impressive working of her style, her tone and the courage that comes from the terror of flying the nest. Homesick does this with optimism, carefully considering its structure not as a call to arms but as a guiding force for those who need to hear it. Layered well, paced with that balance of doubt and quality writing, Homesick provides an obvious collection of Mescal’s talents.