Annabel Allum‘s brilliant second EP Sorry I’m Not Perceptible, was chock full of ballsy, slacker anthems that were the perfect summation of her non-nonsense, “fuck it” attitude. Mixing the bruising, grunge of early PJ Harvey with the incisiveness of Nadine Shah and the rousing alt-pop melodies of EMA, these were songs with bright, fizzy hooks, all coated with her astute, trenchant wit.
New single “When the Wind Stopped”, the second track to be taken from her forthcoming six-track EP, finds Allum blossoming as a songwriter. It’s not a song that goes for the quick knockout. Rather it takes its time to penetrate the defenses with razor-sharp lyrical jabs and deftly constructed alt-pop hooks.
The video perfectly encapsulates the unrelenting, soul-sucking tedium of a menial office job. In a nondescript office, a group of workers are overseen by a typically overbearing, officious boss who seems to spend his entire working life, stamping on the dreams of his work force. That all changes when a mysterious leaflet arrives, encouraging them to follow their dreams. It’s a fun, irreverent video that suits the tone of the song perfectly.